Lamb? Haha, Yeah Right
by roseXash
Summary: "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..."- SM.  Isabella Swan, a lamb?  Haha, yeah right.  Edward, you've got a lot to learn about Isabella Swan if you think she's a little lamb.  See, she's been training to kill you since she was three yrs. old.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Oh-kay, so I am like uber nervous. This is my first attempt at fan fiction and I just hope you guys go easy on me. Don't get me wrong, I want your honest opinion, so if it sucks-tell me, I'm just saying I hope you tell me if it sucks in a nice way XD haha so yeah...um, I know the prologue is short, the upcoming chpts will be longer, I promise.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns all.

Enjoy...

* * *

**Lamb? Haha, Yeah Right**

There were three things of which I was absolutely positive:

1. Edward was an annoyingly kind vampire.

2. There was a part of me- I didn't know how dominant that part might be- that seriously wanted to stake the sucker.

3. I was irrevocably attached to him, whether I wanted to be or not.

_Prologue_

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. You want me to go where?" I could not comprehend what my superiors were asking of me. It had to be a joke they were playing on me. Right?

_God, I really hope so. _

"Your assignment is to go to Forks, Washington and study a coven of vampires we have recently received some intel on." Lucas said coolly.

"Yes, yes I heard that part. My questioning of your sanity only started when you said something about me not being able to kill them." I retorted icily, wondering why the fuck they would prevent a vampire hunter from killing said vampires.

"You are not permitted to kill this coven because the intel we have received says they are not a threat to humans." Carolina interjected. I turned my glare to her and was satisfied to see her flinch.

"And why, pray tell, would they not be a threat to humans?" I asked in a bored tone. It seemed unlikely they would be able to explain their reasoning on that ludicrous assumption.

"Apparently their diet consists of animal blood. They refuse to kill humans." I snorted in disbelief and received a haughty glare from Lucas.

"Whether you like it or not Swan, you are not allowed to kill them unless you feel your life is being threatened or unless you are protecting an innocent." Lucas said tersely and glared at me until I begrudgingly nodded my head in acceptance.

"You are to reside in Forks and study this coven to see if the information we have is indeed true. If we find out it is possible for vampires to survive on animal blood it could be a turning point in human-vampire relations which is why you are to take this mission very seriously." The _or else_ was left unspoken.

"I still don't see why you chose me to do this. I'm your best killer, I am _not_ a negotiator." I grumbled, knowing full well that no matter what excuses I offered I would still end up going. They were in charge here and I was just their little chess piece to move as they saw fit.

Lucas gave me a patronizing smile. "Yes, well maybe it's time to expand your skill set."

I rolled my eyes at his comment before walking away.

"Don't screw this up Swan!" Lucas yelled after me. I waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Only talking, no killing. Blah blah blah."

I walked out of the building and got into my truck. Once there I opened up the envelope containing all the information about my mission.

Apparently they already had a contact in place. He was the one who had given the organization the information concerning this 'human friendly' coven.

Charles Rathbone. He was a retired hunter who had set up a comfy little life for himself under the pseudo name Charlie Swan- Police Chief to the little town of Forks.

_That probably has something to do with it. I get the screwed up mission simply because of my name. Yay me!_

I know, I'm a sarcastic little fuck, aren't I?

While there I would pose as Charlie's daughter- Isabella Swan.

_At least I won't have to worry about adapting to a new name. _

I pocketed my identification before flipping through the other papers. There wasn't much information, just random facts about the different "family" members that Charlie had been able glean.

At the bottom of the pile were pictures of the vampires. Like any other vampires I had ever had the pleasure of killing, they were gorgeous. Almost immediately I was drawn to their eye color. I flipped through each picture and found the same thing- amber eyes.

_Hmmm, maybe this intel has some validity to it. _

After making sure I had everything I needed, I started up my truck and embarked upon the long ass drive to the middle of nowhere.

_Forks, Washington here I come. _


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Stephenie Meyer owns all.

* * *

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." SM

**LAMB? HAHA, YEAH RIGHT**

There were three things of which I was absolutely positive:

1. Edward was an annoyingly kind vampire.

2. There was a part of me- I didn't know how dominant that part might be- that seriously wanted to stake the sucker.

3. I was irrevocably attached to him, whether I wanted to be or not.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Welcome to Forks_, the bleary sign read as I drove down the highway in my truck. It might as well have said _Welcome to the Assignment from Hell_.

In all fairness, the town was pretty cool, albeit a little too small and a little too green. And when I say green, I mean really, really fucking green.

I had spent most of my life in big cities- the ideal feeding ground for vampires- so the little town of Forks was a refreshing change, I guess. It served as a validation that maybe these vampires _did_ survive off animal blood. It was obvious enough that wildlife would be plentiful here and killing a human in a town this small would be a sure fire way to draw unwanted attention to a coven of vampires.

I scanned my surroundings and saw trees, trees, and oh would you look at that, more trees! I know, I know. It must sound like I hated the never-ending forest but the truth of it was that I actually enjoyed nature. No seriously, I did. I just never had the opportunity to appreciate it like I had wanted to. I had little free time, my life revolved around my job.

And I did love my job oh so very much. There was nothing that could match the thrill of staring down a smug, sadistic vampire and taking him down a notch or ten by slicing his head off and burning him to a crisp.

I was the youngest and deadliest hunter my branch of the organization had produced in decades, yet here I was being assigned to observe a coven of vampires. Damn, my life was going to be so boring.

I eventually pulled up to a house shoved up right against the endless forest. The house wasn't splendid by any means, but it was nice enough. In the driveway was a police cruiser.

_At least I won't have problems with the local authorities. Charlie can just get me out of any situation that might arise. _

My truck let out a loud bang, announcing my presence to anyone in the vicinity. It was actually kind of creepy how eerily silent the forest and town was.

As I got out of my truck the front door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with a stern appearance. He had a strong jaw and a moustache, a good way to keep his face stoic even if he was smiling. He was dressed comfortably in worn jeans and a flannel button down shirt.

It was easy enough to tell he had probably been a great hunter in his prime. He was well built, his body tensed and ready to react to any threat that might appear. His eyes were constantly scanning the area, looking for anything out of place.

Charlie eyed me, judging me, _evaluating_ me. It was something I was used to. There weren't many hunters my age, and if they were they definitely weren't as good as me. I wasn't being cocky, I was just confident in my abilities.

"Hi _dad_," I said with sarcasm. Charlie's eyes quickly snapped to mine and I could see I had already pissed him off. I stared back at him, daring him to lecture me about my attitude.

Instead of lecturing me he just gave an aggravated sigh and mumbled something along the lines of 'kids these days having no respect.' I snickered under my breath.

_I don't give respect unless you earn it, old man. _

He helped me carry my bags into the house and showed me to the room I was going to be occupying for god knows how long. Luckily he left me to unpack alone, saying next to nothing except to point out the location of the bathroom down the hall.

I opened up my weapons bag and went about hiding knives and guns all over the room. I'd have to ask Charlie where he kept his weapons throughout the house. He might have been retired, but hunter habits never died. After my security measures were in place I started unpacking my less important objects- clothes, books, and other shit like that.

Around dinnertime I made my way down to the kitchen and found Charlie attempting to cook spaghetti. Somehow- don't ask me cause I don't have a fucking clue- he managed to fail at boiling water. I stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, and watched as he scrambled around the kitchen looking for a rag to dry up the burning water spilling over the edge of the pot. After a few seconds he noticed my presence.

"You going to help or just stand there with that stupid smirk on your face?" He asked in a gruff voice.

I rolled my eyes at his melodramatic moment before walking over to the stove. I got the water to boil, normally, and then poured the spaghetti in. I noticed the can of tomato sauce on the counter and asked for a saucepan. After Charlie handed me one he took a seat at the table and let me finish making dinner.

I made up two plates of food and sat one down in front of Charlie before taking my own seat. I cringed when my ass was forced to make friends with an uncomfortable wooden chair.

"You don't cook much do ya?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"No, not really," he said tersely. I snorted at his response and we finished the rest of the meal in silence.

As he was getting up to put his plate in the sink, Charlie spoke. "Listen kid, we're going to be living together for as long as your assignment lasts, we can at least try to be civil to each other, right?"

"Don't call me kid anymore and maybe we can," I snapped back at him.

Charlie turned to look at me. "How old are you?" I settled my best glare on him.

"I'm seventeen. Got a problem with that?" I asked with a biting tone. I had little to no reserve for arrogant fuckers who thought that me being so young meant I didn't deserve a little damn respect.

Charlie gave me an appraising look. "No, no problem. Just curious is all. In all honesty it's pretty impressive that they would give a hunter so young an important mission like this."

I scoffed at his comment. "Important? What's so important about monitoring a human friendly coven? My time could be better spent hunting down killers," I grumbled as I poked at my spaghetti.

"Hey!" Charlie said loudly, forcing me to look at him. "You've still got a lot to learn if you think something important like finding a peaceful way of coexisting with vampires is a waste of your time."

"If it's so important then why don't you do it?" I shot back.

Charlie smirked at me. "Cause I can't very well pose as a high school student, now can I?"

I stared at Charlie wide-eyed. "High school? What do you mean?" My voice squeaked out.

Charlie grinned widely at my response. "Oh what, your superiors didn't tell you that part? Well you see, five of the seven vampires in this coven are posing as high school students. The easiest way for you to observe them is to pose as one yourself."

I shook my head. "No, no, no. You cannot be serious!"

Charlie laughed at my horrible situation, the damn bastard. "I am very serious. Suck it up, _kid_, cause starting tomorrow you are no longer Isabella Swan-vampire hunter extraordinaire, you'll be Isabella Swan- high school junior attending Forks High."

…_Fuck! This assignment just got so much worse. _

I woke from my light sleep when I felt a presence in my room. I heard a small creak in the floor and slowly moved my hand to grip the knife under my pillow. Another small creak sounded through the silent room and I waited until the person was in prime position before snapping my arm around and bringing the knife to their throat.

Charlie stood there smiling at me as I held the knife to his neck. "Good morning. You need to get ready for school," he said happily; for some reason he was taking great pleasure in my torture. I glared at him and considered how much trouble I would get in if I killed him.

_Probably a lot…_

Slowly, I removed my knife from Charlie's neck and settled my head back onto my pillow.

"School starts in an hour. Don't be late!" Charlie shouted as he made his way back downstairs. I continued laying there on my bed, not wanting to move cause that would mean I actually had to go to school.

After a few minutes I pushed myself off my bed and walked to the bathroom. I took a hasty shower and dressed in loose jeans, sneakers, a white long sleeve, and a jacket over top. I checked myself in the mirror, making sure that none of my numerous weapons- four knives and one gun to be exact- could be seen on my person. Happy that they were well concealed, I went downstairs and poured myself a bowl of cereal.

I shoveled the unappetizing slop into my mouth and contemplated, once again, why I had to be the one assigned to this mission. It wasn't fair. I wanted to be out there where the action was, not stuck in this little town playing watchdog.

After I finished eating I grabbed my backpack and went out to my truck. As luck would have it, it started to rain. My day just could not get any better. Oh and in case you were wondering that was me being sarcastic.

I drove my behemoth truck through the tiny little town, already drawing attention merely from the loud roar of the engine. My truck wasn't typical for a hunter considering just how much attention it drew, but being a 'normal' hunter had never been on my to-do list. My huge ass truck had character and I liked it.

I eventually found my way to the small cluster of buildings marked _Forks High School_ and parked in the back parking lot, assuming it was the one reserved for students. I looked at the dismally dull school and sighed when I thought about the fact that I would actually be attending this place.

I had never been to a public school. The agency had private schools built specifically to train hunters. We had classes like _How to Spot a Vampire_, _First Aid_, _Martial Arts_, and _Weapons_. But here at Forks High I would be learning about simplistic subjects like Biology and English, taught by painfully boring teachers who droned on and on and on…

This was going to suck, bad.

I eventually got over my pity party for myself and trudged my way to the front office. The small room had stale air but served as a warm refuge from the constant drizzle outside.

I approached the front desk and was greeted by the stereotypical secretary.

"Can I help you, dear?" She asked with a smile. I could see the curiosity flaring in her eyes.

It was easy enough to tell that I would be the center of attention for a while. The back-story the organization had created was that I had decided to come live with my father after my mother had remarried. They had divorced when my mother was only a month pregnant with me.

Charlie actually had been married once before, to another hunter in fact, but they had separated long ago. Conveniently enough, eighteen years ago. Setting up the perfect timeline for the story, another reason I had probably been chosen for the assignment.

It was somewhat beneficial that nothing exciting happened in Forks cause it meant that my mere presence would draw attention. Hopefully, it would attract the attention of some vampires as well.

"Yes, my name is Isabella Swan. I'll be attending this school starting today and I need my schedule," I said with a sweet smile and soft voice.

Me? Sweet? I know, hard to believe, right? It wasn't like I'd be doing a complete 180 and acting bubbly and all that jazz, but I happened to know that making friends with her could only benefit me. She was more likely to overlook any "strange" events I might be involved in if she liked me.

Now, when dealing with the other students it would be completely different, or I guess you could say I'd be acting completely normal. (Okay, maybe not _completely_ normal, I didn't want to scare the kiddies away.) It was true that I needed to befriend some of them in order to gain a source of information about the Cullens, but I'd be damned if I acted saccharinely sweet all the time.

"Oh yes! We've all been expecting you. It's so nice that you've come to live with Chief Swan." She rifled through some papers on the desk. "Here you go dear. This is your schedule and this is your parking pass. Just go put the pass on your front dash and have your teachers sign your schedule and then return it to me at the end of the day."

I nodded my head and thanked her before heading back out into the gloomy weather. The parking lot had become much more full by that time and I noticed I was getting quite a few looks. I scanned the crowd watching me but didn't see the students I was interested in.

By the time I made my way to my first class my temper had soured, a lot. I knew I would be the center of attention, I welcomed it in fact, but all these students had done was stare and stare and stare. Not a single one had the nerve to come talk to me. I needed to befriend someone to get the information I needed but apparently I was too intimidating or some shit like that.

Finally when the bell rang for passing period a boy came over to me.

"Hi. You must be Isabella Swan."

I had always hated my first name. It's the reason I demanded to be called Swan, but I couldn't very well have these kids calling me that now could I?

"You can call me Bella," I said with a smile, hoping he would be able to introduce me to some girls he knew. Cause let's face it, girls were the true masters in the art of gossip.

"I'm Eric," he said with a grin. "What class do you have next?"

I looked down at my schedule and couldn't help but glare at it for a second. I made sure to quell my anger before looking up to the smiling Eric.

"Trigonometry in building four." _Fucking hate math…_

"Oh cool, I've got a class in building four too! We can walk together," Eric chirped. I almost snorted at his obvious excitement but just nodded my head instead.

"So where'd you live before this?" He asked and I noticed that everyone was eavesdropping.

"Los Angeles for the most part but just before this we had been traveling a lot because my mom's new husband plays baseball. We were always in big cities though, never anything quite as…quaint as Forks," I lied smoothly.

Eric snorted. "Quaint? You can just say it Bella, Forks is Snoozeville." I couldn't help but smile at Eric's comment. He summed up my take on the town pretty well.

Eric dropped me off at Trig before heading to his own class. The rest of my morning classes past by at a glacial pace. Only one other person had built up the courage to introduce themselves to me- Jessica Stanley.

Now, I know I said I needed to befriend someone who could give me some information about the Cullens, and boy oh boy would she be perfect for the job, but I also knew that I seriously wanted to kill the girl.

I had never met anyone so annoying in my life. The girl couldn't shut up for one fucking second. Ever since I had responded to her introduction she had been running her mouth nonstop.

I found myself stroking the knife hidden up my sleeve, seriously contemplating destroying her vocal chords just to cease her incessant chatter. But that might have been a little more than Charlie could get me out of so I somehow managed to restrain myself.

She led me to the cafeteria for lunch and we took our seats amongst her little friends. I only remembered the names Mike and Angela.

Mike because he was one arrogant motherfucker who I knew at some point or other I would have to make it clear that I had absolutely no interest in him whatsoever. And Angela was someone I could actually see myself liking. I know, it shocked me too. But she was a quiet girl, and observant, a trait I found very admirable.

The Eric kid from earlier also sat with us. I didn't mind him too much, he just seemed a little too eager to help me out for my taste. He was kind of like a stupid little puppy. But that was something I could handle. Jessica's drabble? Not so much.

She had been asking me rapid-fire questions, all of which I either answered in as few words as possible or didn't answer at all. Eventually she figured out it wasn't worth it and turned her attention to her other friends.

About ten minutes into lunch the objects of my assignment showed up. It was almost comical how they arrived. The whole cafeteria seemed to still, everyone's attention on the doors through which the Cullens entered. They sauntered towards an empty table at the end of the cafeteria, looking like models walking a runway in Paris. There clothes were perfect and not a single hair was out of place on any of them. They were the epitome of perfection.

I almost snorted at the show.

_You know, for vampires trying to act the part of a normal human family, they sure draw a lot of attention to themselves. _

I scanned each vampire, noting their attributes, cataloguing any strengths or weaknesses I could detect.

1. Tall, leggy blonde who is obviously vain. There's a look of contempt in her eyes. She probably deems herself far above humans, not an uncommon trait for vampires, but something I find funny considering she used to be one.

2. Tall, lean blonde with a tense body. He looks uncomfortable. He probably has the hardest time adjusting to the Cullen diet of animal blood considering the way he's looking at our peers like they are the most delicious dessert ever to taunt his taste buds.

3. Tall, huge, brunette with muscles to spare and obviously the strongest of the bunch. Most likely relies on his strength instead of his intelligence. Interestingly enough, appears to be paired with the blonde girl.

4. Small, spritely brunette with a cheerful appearance. She seems close to the blonde guy and is trying to ease his tense demeanor. Appears to have an obsession with fashion since she is appraising the wardrobes of the student body with a critical eye.

5. Tall, lithe, bronze haired vamp with a reserved demeanor. Appears to be concentrating or…listening to something.

And the one thing that I had noticed before but didn't seem as prominent now- their amber eyes were much, much darker.

_Looks like they haven't fed in awhile. _

I filed away the notes I had taken in my mind and turned to Jessica.

"Who are they?" I asked in an intrigued voice. She turned her head towards me to see who I was looking at and started giggling.

Suddenly the bronze haired one snapped his head towards our table. He looked directly at Jessica and then turned his gaze to me. I stared right back at him, boldly challenging his gaze, until he looked away. His head seemed to be tilted towards us though, as if he was listening to us.

_Interesting…_

The small sprite said something to the rest of them and then got up and exited the cafeteria. The blonde guy looked after her and he seemed much more uncomfortable now that her presence was gone.

"Oh, well the big brunette is Emmet Cullen. The gorgeous bronze haired guy is Edward Cullen and the girl who just left is Alice Cullen. The blonde guy is Jasper Hale and the blonde girl is his twin Rosalie." Jessica said in a breathy voice as she gazed starry-eyed at the collection of beautiful people.

I continued staring, unashamedly, at the vampires. Edward was speaking to them. They were all looking in different directions, but seemed to be listening intently. I rolled my eyes at how obvious they were being. The least they could do was have a normal conversation. Most teenage humans were loud and rambunctious at lunchtime, not stoic and quiet.

"They live with Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme. They're all adopted."

_Seriously? Come on, change the names you stupidly obvious vamps._

Names like those- old fashioned- stood out. One name like that would have been fine, but seven names that came from a different time period? That was just asking for attention.

Jessica leaned in closer to me and I had to clench my hands together to prevent myself from pushing her out of my personal space.

"And that's not all," she continued in a dramatic whisper. "They are all _together_. Emmet is dating Rosalie and Jasper is dating Alice. Edward is the only single one, but apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him," Jessica said in a snide tone, obviously she was unhappy about that little detail.

I almost laughed about the fact that she actually wanted to have the attention of a vampire. Attention from a vampire meant a death sentence for normal humans.

"Well, I guess it's kind of the Cullens to take in so many kids," I said, knowing I needed to contribute something to the conversation in order for Jessica to keep spewing out information.

Jessica huffed in response. "Yeah, but I don't think Mrs. Cullen can have kids, that's probably why they did it." I rolled my eyes at Jessica's obvious jealousy for the family.

_If you can't be the best, put down those who are,_ I thought in concern to Jessica's behavior.

"Have they always lived in Forks?" I knew that wasn't a possibility seeing as how vampires didn't age but it was a good way to see if Jessica knew where they had been prior to this.

"No, they moved here about two years ago. Apparently they used to live somewhere in Alaska."

_Alaska, another place with bountiful wildlife. Maybe they really are animal-drinkers. _

I asked Jessica a few more questions but she didn't have much more information to tell. It appeared that even though the Cullens had resided in Forks for near-two years now, they kept to themselves.

Soon enough the lunch bell rang. I almost ditched my next class when Mike said he had Biology too but Angela also had the class. I decided to converse with her as we walked, shutting Mike out of the conversation, something he did not seem all too pleased with.

As soon as we got to the class I scanned the area like I would any room I entered. I saw that the room was filled, every seat taken, except for the one next to Edward Cullen.

_Perfect._

I studied Edward as I walked down the aisle to the teacher's desk to have him sign the schedule. As soon as I past by Edward, he went more still than even a statue. His body tensed and, as habit dictated, so did I.

He turned his head to face me and I could automatically tell what was wrong. His eyes had gone pitch black, he had stopped breathing, and his jaw was clenched.

_Fuck, this is not good. This is really, really, really not good. _

The situation I found myself in was almost laughable. Part of the reason hunters were chosen was because our blood has something special in it that attracted vampires to it. There's no easier way to kill a vampire than when they are in full monster-mode. Killing something that relies on instinct is much easier than going toe to toe with a creature relying on intelligence.

But Edward's reaction was stronger than any I had seen before. On any other assignment it would have been a welcome piece of information but not on this one. I was supposed to observe them not hurt them, a task that just became a lot more tricky considering any time I was around this particular vampire all he would be able to think about was the blood pumping through my veins.

I slipped a knife down to just above my wrist as I walked towards the front of the class. All I had to do was twitch my hand and it would slide into my fingers, ready to plunge into his throat.

I didn't like the fact that I had to expose my back to him while talking with the teacher, but it was necessary. I quickly introduced myself to Mr. Banner and had him sign my schedule, all the while my attention was zoned in on the very dangerous and ravenous vampire behind me.

I slowly walked back to the only open seat, not wanting to provoke his animalistic side by making any sudden movements. Every fiber of my being was telling me to destroy the threat to my life right then and there but the director had made it clear I was not allowed to do so unless provoked.

Sliding into my seat next to a very tense vampire I prayed to the gods that he would somehow maintain control long enough to get out of there. I saw him shift away from me, putting as much distance between us as possible.

_Good little vampire, restrain yourself. Please don't make me kill you. _

I paused at my thoughts. Why did I not want to kill him? Normally I would have encouraged him giving me a reason to kill him. I would have been happy to have him attack me so I could end his existence on this earth.

…_the possibility of finding a peaceful way of coexisting with vampires._

I gave a small sigh. Apparently Charlie's words had finally sunk in.

I _wanted_ him to fight against the monster thirsting for my blood. I _wanted_ him to prove all my previous notions of vampires wrong. I _wanted_ him to prove to me that vampires and humans could coexist. I _wanted_ my job to be unnecessary. I _wanted_ there to no longer be a reason for hunters to exist.

And all these wants were resting upon the shoulders of one bronze-haired vampire.

The seconds ticked by slowly. Both of us tense, the air around us thick and strained. Edward sat there trying his hardest to stop himself from trying to drink my blood. I sat there hoping he would somehow be able to.

Every single muscle of his body was tense. His hands were clenched into fists, the tendons in his hands poking out under pale white skin. He sat stiffly in his chair, angling his body away from me, titling his head towards the open window across the aisle.

About halfway through the class I glanced at him to see how he was handling his thirst and found him glaring at me. It was easy to tell he hated me for tempting him so cruelly. It wasn't as if I wanted my blood to be so appealing to him, but for some reason I still found guilt creeping into my heart.

He was trying his damndest to tame the monster inside and here I was mocking him with my blood. It wasn't fair to him, and I knew it. But this was my job. I needed to know that it could be done, that a vampire could control his bloodlust.

I kept my blade ready in case Edward slipped, in case the monster was released from its cage. The minutes went by agonizingly slow. I looked up to the clock and saw we only had two minutes left of class.

_Come on Edward, you can do it. Just a few more minutes. _

As soon as the bell rang Edward bolted out of the classroom. I let out a shaky breath, amazed that he had been able to quell the beast for so long. I packed up my backpack and exited the class.

"Hey, Bella!" Mike yelled as he ran up to me.

"Hi," I responded, my mind not really paying him any attention. All my thoughts were revolving around Edward Cullen and the sheer willpower he had just exhibited.

"What was up between you and Cullen? He looked like he was in pain or something," Mike commented as we walked towards the gymnasium.

_You have no idea…_

"Uh, I'm not sure. He's not normally like that?" I asked uninterestedly, hoping Mike would just drop it.

"No. Don't get me wrong, Cullen is pretty unsociable, but that was downright frigid," Mike said. He seemed happy that Edward had treated me so horribly and I rolled my eyes at his obviousness.

I made a hasty retreat from Mike as I went into the girls' locker room. Gym class was a welcome reprieve. It was a much-needed release after that extremely volatile Biology class. My bright mood came crashing down though when the gym teacher said I wouldn't be allowed to participate until the next day. I gloomily sat down on the bleachers and watched as my fellow students ran around.

Gym was my last class of the day so when the bell rang I headed to the front office to turn in my schedule. I opened the door to find a certain bronze-haired vampire speaking with the secretary. I almost walked back out, but decided to stay. He needed to be tested. I had to make sure Biology was not a fluke.

He didn't notice my presence at first. All his attention was on the secretary, trying to get her to switch him out of our biology class. I was impressed that he was going through so much trouble to get himself out of the situation. It showed that he was concerned and recognized the danger. He was protecting me from himself, not that I needed protection, but he didn't know that.

The door opened again as another girl came in the drop off a piece of paper. A small gust of wind blew past me and Edward tensed again. He turned his head towards me and clenched his jaw. I stayed still, fully aware that I was pushing him to his limits.

Edward turned back to the secretary and tersely dismissed the conversation before removing himself from the office. Once he was gone I walked up to the secretary.

"How was your first day? Anything interesting happen?" She asked kindly.

_Other than almost having a battle to the death with a vampire during Biology? Nope, nothing._

"It was good. I met a lot of new people," I responded with a smile. She smiled back at me and I wished her a good day before heading out to the student lot.

I got into my truck and made my way back to Charlie's house.

_Looks like this assignment is going to be a little more interesting than I originally thought._


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. **

* * *

Lamb? Haha, Yeah Right

**Chapter 2**

The next morning was just as bad as the first. I had never been a morning person, and add in the fact that I had to wake up early to attend _school_, well let's just say that it didn't make for a very cheerful hunter.

The worst part of the situation was that Charlie seemed to be one of those despised "morning" people.

He was sitting at the stupid wooden table in his stupid little kitchen sipping his stupid coffee with a stupid grin on his face as I slowly moved around getting ready.

"You look like an ugly little zombie," he said with humor in his voice.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a large gulp before responding. "Little? Yes. Zombie? Maybe. Ugly? Never." Charlie laughed at my response and I couldn't help but give a small smirk.

"How you going to handle the new development?" He asked, as he stood up, grabbed his jacket, and holstered is gun. It was a little unfair that he could wear his gun out in the open while I had to hide mine.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not sure yet. Guess I'll just go with the flow."

Charlie snorted in response. "You know kid, it might be a good idea to have a plan. From the description you gave me it sounds like that vampire has got a serious thirsting for your blood."

I glared at him frostily for calling me kid. "That might be true, _old man_, but I can handle it just fine." Charlie just shrugged it off and then exited the house, heading to the Police Station.

Eventually I found my way to school. I still got a bunch of stares but I ignored them for the most part. I had already found the source of all gossip in Jessica Stanley. I sure as hell didn't need to make nice with anyone else I hadn't already met.

My morning classes were somehow even more boring than they had been on the first day. I breathed a sigh of relief when the lunch bell rang. I scanned the cafeteria as I entered and saw the vampires were absent for the moment. Warily poking at the grayish mush I was provided for lunch, I waited for the Cullens to arrive.

Again, they entered with all eyes on them. I ran my eyes over each one to try and discern any notable differences. The only difference I saw was that the dark shadows under their eyes had become even more pronounced.

_Why don't they go hunt? _

It was impressive that they were able to maintain control over themselves when they were surrounded by a feast and obviously hungry, but at a certain point their attempt at self control just became stupid. The fact that they were going so long without feeding was like taunting the monster inside.

My eyes narrowed in interest when I saw that only four vampires had entered the cafeteria. I couldn't help but frown when I saw that Edward Cullen was absent.

He had been my best chance at getting close to the coven. I didn't have any classes with the others and it would be pretty strange if I just approached them in the cafeteria. Jessica had made it clear that the Cullens kept to themselves and avoided interacting with their peers.

The best thing I could wish for was that for some reason Edward was just occupied during lunch and would be present in Biology.

Sadly, my wish was left unanswered.

After school I went home and sifted through my homework. Charlie came home to find me glaring daggers at my math book.

"Fuck this shit! Why do I have to attend high school?" I whined as I slammed the book shut.

"Because it's part of your job, so stop complaining," Charlie said with a stern voice, offering no chance for me to refute.

I banged my head against the kitchen table a few times before opening the book again and finishing the assigned problems.

After I finished all my schoolwork I decided to workout. I ran upstairs and grabbed my duffel before running out the back door into the yard. Charlie had a pretty nice set up as far as open space was concerned. The best part was that there were plenty of trees available for target practice.

I dropped my duffel bag in the center of the yard and started stretching. After I had loosened up my muscles I opened the duffel bag and got out my throwing knives.

I stood about six yards away from a tree and exhaled slowly before throwing the knife fluidly through the air. It made a satisfying _thunk_ sound as it sunk into the wood. I sighed when I saw how rusty I had gotten; the knife had been an inch off target.

I continued throwing knives until I made ten consecutive bulls-eyes. I threw two more sets of fifteen knives before packing them away again. I knew I wouldn't be able to do any shooting practice since gunshots would be sure to attract attention.

I headed back inside to search for Charlie. He was sitting in the living room watching football or something.

"I need your help."

Charlie only spared me a glance, his attention focused on the tv.

"With what?"

"I need you to spar with me."

Charlie looked at me, an eyebrow raised in question. "You serious?"

"No, I thought I would make a funny. Yes, I'm serious you old man."

Charlie turned his head back to the tv. "Well, since you think I'm an old man, you shouldn't want me as your sparring partner."

I walked over and planted my feet firmly in front of the tv. "You will spar with me," I commanded. Charlie rolled his eyes at me.

"Fine, I'll spar with you during halftime," he agreed as he pushed me out of the way. "But you're cooking dinner tonight," he yelled after me as I went up to my room.

"I was going to anyways. You honestly think I would let you attempt to make edible food?" I yelled back at him. I didn't receive a response.

I occupied my time by reading _The Picture of Dorian Gray_. I got through one chapter before Charlie called me down. Hurling my body down the stairs, I almost crashed into Charlie but was able to make a slight adjustment mid-air and went flying right past him. I darted outside and waited anxiously for Charlie to follow.

When he got outside I saw that he had changed out of his jeans and was now wearing shorts. He started to stretch and I did the same. We did a few short sprints back and forth and then stood in the center of the open space, facing each other.

We slowly circled each other, watching the others movements, looking for any detail that would signal a weakness.

I noticed that he set his left foot down more tenderly than he did his right. His left foot had probably received some injury long ago that had never completely healed. His left hand twitched involuntarily, signaling he had more control over his right and that his right was his dominant side.

Charlie hesitated a fraction of a second before taking his next step, watching me to see how I responded to his movements. I hesitated too, making sure that he was always directly across from me. After a few more seconds I saw his right thigh muscle twitch a millisecond before he launched himself at me.

I ducked down swiftly sending him hurtling over me. He rolled out of his attack and stood to face me again.

"You're fast," he commented.

"Or maybe you're just old," I said with a smirk. I saw his eyes narrow in response.

_Good, give in to your emotions, it will make beating you all the easier, _I thought smugly.

Charlie jumped towards me again and this time I met him head on. He threw a punch at my stomach, which I dodged to the left and followed through with a kick aimed at his head. He ducked down, my foot barely missing contact with its target. He swung his arm back around, aiming his elbow for my face.

I managed to block the attack with my arm and then dropped to the ground, kicking my leg out and sweeping his feet from underneath him. He kicked his foot out when I went to take advantage of his precarious position and caught me in my abdomen. I was sent backwards a few feet, giving him time to rise to his feet again.

This time I attacked first. I aimed a kick at his head, knowing he would block it. He did as I predicted and left his stomach wide open for an attack. I slammed my fist into his stomach, hearing a _whoosh_ sound as he got the wind knocked out of him. He slumped to the ground, clutching his side and gasping for air. I stood a few feet away and waited for him to recover.

After a few seconds he raised his head and stared at me. "You're strong too."

I grinned in response and walked forward to offer him a hand up. He clasped his hand in mine and I pulled him to his feet. "Sure am. People tend to underestimate me because of my size. It's their downfall."

Charlie smiled at me as he slung his arm over my shoulders. "I'll be sure never to do that again."

"Good, I'd hate to seriously injure you," I teased as I helped him walk inside. I helped him settle onto the sofa before heading into the kitchen and grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge.

Charlie thanked me as I handed him his water. I took a seat next to him and we settled into a comfortable silence, both of us relaxing and letting our muscles recuperate.

_Nothing like a good sparring session to solidify a friendship, _I thought as I looked over at Charlie.

After a few minutes I got up and went to the kitchen to start dinner. That night Charlie and I had our first real conversation, swapping stories about our best kills. It was a good night.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The assignment could not get any worse.

Lucas had been sending me messages, asking for updates. All the information I had been able to give him was the little tidbits of information- gossip- I had gleaned during lunchtime in the cafeteria.

I told him about the first day with Edward in Biology, implying that with Edward's obvious lust for my blood it might be a good idea to have another hunter take over my spot. Lucas, being the idiotic director he was, said that it wasn't an option since they wouldn't be able to create a plausible story for the arrival of another hunter.

With my first attempt failing, I moved on to another way of trying to weasel my way out of the assignment. I had told Lucas that it seemed unlikely I'd be able to get close to the coven since they kept to themselves and he had just responded- be creative.

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

I had responded to that by asking if I had permission to reveal I was a vampire hunter. I figured that if I approached them and was honest about the fact that we were interested in learning more about animal-drinkers then they might be willing to cooperate. Lucas had denied my request and ordered that my identity as a hunter was to remain a secret no matter what.

Overall, Lucas was making this mission near-impossible.

Edward had been my only way in with the coven and he had been missing in action for a week now. I wasn't sure where he had gone off to but he needed to return and soon.

The longer he was away, the more frustrated I got. The more frustrated I got, the more I found myself having a difficult time not taking those frustrations out on anyone who annoyed me- mainly Jessica and Mike.

Luckily Charlie had been able to help keep my rising anger levels somewhat manageable by sparring with me every day. We fell into a pretty easy routine. I would come home, grumble about doing homework but do it anyways, spar with Charlie, make dinner, and then do whatever else needed to be done.

My first weekend in Forks was actually somewhat tolerable. I spent most of the time just relaxing and enjoying my free time.

I had already decided that if Edward wasn't back in school on Monday that I would have to give up on that route and try another. All my strategizing had left me with two other options.

1. I could walk up to the remaining animal-drinkers in the cafeteria and ask if I could eat lunch with them. Worst-case scenario they would think I was just some freak, but at least it would make them notice me.

2. I could injure myself bad enough so that I would have to be taken to the hospital. It was unlikely that out of all the doctors I would get Dr. Carlisle Cullen, but it was worth a shot I guess.

Driving to school on Monday I prayed to any gods listening that Edward would be back. When I arrived in the parking lot I saw that the Volvo I knew belonged to the vamps already parked, unfortunately none of them were in the parking lot.

I made my way to my first class and glared daggers at my English teacher when he announced we _got_ to take a pop quiz. I never understood why teachers said stuff like that. As if being able to take a pop quiz was some gift or something. I say, fuck that shit. Couldn't they just be honest and acknowledge it for the torture it was? I would have been more easy-going about the thing if he had simply said we _had_ to take the pop quiz.

The rest of my morning classes past by boringly as usual. I did somehow manage to survive until lunch. How? I have no idea, but I did.

Walking to the cafeteria I noticed that it had started snowing. Little flakes of the frozen white stuff were floating down and coming to a rest atop every inch of the school.

I saw Mike standing on the other side of the open courtyard and smiled. I bent down and packed together a snowball. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching me, I launched the snowball at Mike's head. I managed to refrain from laughing when it smacked into its target with a good amount of force and caused him to let out a pathetic high-pitched yelp. Before he could turn around and see me I darted into the cafeteria, a large grin plastered on my face.

Out of habit I scanned the cafeteria, my eyes halting when they came to rest upon the Cullen family table. I was shocked for two reasons. Firstly, the Cullens almost always came into the cafeteria about ten minutes into lunch so it was surprising to see them already seated. Secondly, I counted five vampires. Edward Cullen had returned.

'_Bout freaking time. _

I stood in line with the rest of the student body to get some slop before heading over to my usual table. Mike was there, grumbling about being hit by some unknown foe. Jessica was sucking up to him and fussing over his injury. I ignored the useless chatter around me and concentrated all my attention on the Cullens.

I was happy to see that the bruises under their eyes had nearly disappeared meaning they had fed recently. My observations were interrupted when Jessica caught me looking at them.

"You're staring at the Cullens." She stated dumbly. Edward's eyes flickered in our direction before hastily darting away again. It was almost as if he had done so involuntarily.

_Definitely something going on there._

"No, I was just observing the fact that the bronze-haired one has returned," I said in a bored tone. I settled my gaze on my lack-luster lunch after finishing my scan of the vampires.

"Oh Edward? Mike said something about him being mean to you in Biology a week ago," Jessica said, happiness brimming in her voice. She liked the fact that Edward didn't seem to like me.

"He didn't say anything to me, how exactly could he have been mean to me?" I asked as I poked at the mush. Was I seriously expected to eat the stuff?

"Well it's not exactly nice of him to ignore you."

I shrugged off her comment, not giving a flying fuck what she thought.

Jessica continued to ramble on about how she thought Edward had exhibited rude behavior. When Mike picked up on what she was blabbering about he decided to add his two cents. I ignored them both.

I couldn't have been more relieved and excited when the bell rang. Now that Edward was back I could finally make some progress on my assignment…hopefully.

Walking into Biology, I saw that I had gotten there before the vampire. I took my seat and waited for him to arrive. As soon as he walked through the door I could feel his presence behind me. Like any other time I was in the presence of a vampire, all my senses went into overdrive.

I could smell the sweet scent that every vampire exuded, drawing their prey to them. I could feel his eyes on me, my body willing me to turn around and face the threat head on. I could hear his near-silent footfall as he approached the table we shared.

My body tensed slightly when he took his seat next to me. I took a few calming breaths and tried to stop the instinctive need to kill the vampire next to me. Once I had myself under control I thought about what I should say to him. Lucky me, he spoke first.

"Hello," his soft voice breathed out. I angled my head towards him and saw he had positioned himself as far away from me as possible.

_He's being cautious, that's good. _

This was the first time I had ever been so close to a vampire without the intent of killing it...him...whatever.

I took a moment to simply marvel at his sheer beauty.

He had the flawless complexion every vampire was blessed with. His cheekbones were high, giving him a somewhat aristocratic air. His bronze hair was tousled in a well-controlled mess atop his head. And the part I found most intriguing- his amber eyes. It still shocked me to see such a color when I knew full well he was a vampire. But there they were, the rich amber eyes, framed by long, dark eyelashes, staring back at me. It was a wonder to see.

"I'm Edward Cullen. I am deeply sorry for not introducing myself last week. You are Isabella Swan correct?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you can call me Bella," I said with a smile. I knew better than to offer him my hand to shake, it would have been pushing him further than I wanted to at the time.

"Are you okay?" I asked and he gave me a confused look. "You were gone for awhile, I hope it wasn't because you were sick," I qualified. I obviously knew he hadn't been sick but I needed an excuse for the conversation to continue. Playing the part of ignorant human was going to take some acting on my part.

_Little Oscar statue thingy, you shall soon fall prey to my amazing acting skills. _

"Oh, I was, actually, but I'm better now," he said with a smile.

Mr. Banner called for the attention of the class and explained the lab we would be doing today- identifying the different phases of mitosis. He passed out microscopes to each pair of students, as well as the slides we were to look at.

_Thank god I studied this yesterday in the book, _I thought. I had never taken Biology before and I found it annoying. It wasn't difficult, just a hell of a lot of memorization.

Edward scooted the microscope towards me after putting the slide in. "Ladies first," he said with a dazzling smile. I grinned back at him finding his old-fashioned manners a little entertaining.

Looking down the scope I hastily ran through the different images the book had shown for each phase and matched what I saw to prophase.

"I believe that would be prophase," I said before pushing the microscope towards Edward so he could have a look. He merely glanced at the slide before nodding his head in agreement.

_Hmmm, I wonder how many times he's taken biology. _

That thought had me feeling some serious pity for the guy. I found this class boring and all this stuff was new to me. I couldn't even fathom how boring it must be for him to take the class over and over and over.

I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing when I went to grab the next slide and ended up brushing hands with Edward. He immediately snapped his hand back and I froze. I had felt the cold touch of a vampire numerous times before, but this time it had been different. It felt as if an electric shock had run through my hand and caused my heart to start pumping at a much faster rate.

_What the fuck was that? _

I glanced up to Edward's eyes and saw he looked a little panicked by my reaction. Realizing I needed to put him at ease, I put a smile on my face.

"We should be more careful, we wouldn't want to be remembered as the ones killed by static shock," I joked. His eyes lit up, the panic receding, and humor taking its place.

"That would be a sad way to go," he joked back.

"I know. Could you imagine the obituaries? Bella Swan and Edward Cullen sadly passed away after electrocuting one another. Apparently the pair had simply gone to shake hands when the static build-up between them discharged and fried their poor little bodies." I glanced at Edward to find him grinning back at me.

"You thought that up pretty quickly," he said with amusement twinkling in his amber eyes.

"My brain works at warp speed," I said with a smirk. Edward chuckled and I found myself proud that I could put him at ease. It meant I was making progress on my mission. Go me!

We got back to work and finished the lab within ten minutes.

Mr. Banner came over to check our answers when he saw we had finished so early. "Don't you think you should have given Isabella the chance to answer a few, Edward?" He asked in a snide tone.

"What am I? Chopped liver? I identified three out of the five," I shot back, not liking the fact that he thought so little of my intelligence.

Mr. Banner looked affronted by my comment. "Well, I apologize for assuming wrongly Ms. Swan but you had best watch your tone when speaking to teachers," he lectured before walking away.

I felt the strong urge to stick my tongue out at his back, but since I was a big girl, I gave him the finger instead.

Edward burst out laughing next to me and several people turned to look at him. I waited for his fits of laughter to subside before speaking.

"Good to know you find me entertaining," I said with humor in my voice.

Edward looked at me, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "Oh, I think you're the most interesting thing to come to Forks since…" he trailed off thinking of something.

"The infamous Cullen family?" I supplied. Edward shrugged his shoulders but didn't comment.

"So how're you liking Forks?" He asked, his body slightly less tense than twenty minutes ago. I could see that his thirst was still very much affecting him, but he seemed more relaxed.

"Honestly?" Edward raised an eyebrow but nodded his head.

"Honestly, I find it a little boring. I'm used to living a much more…fast-paced lifestyle. But, that doesn't necessarily mean I don't like it here. It has its charms," I said with a smile.

I looked past Edward out the window and frowned when I saw that rain had replaced the snow. He noticed the change in my expression and glanced behind him to see what had caused the frown.

"You don't like the rain?" He asked as he turned back to face me.

"I don't mind the rain, but I prefer the snow," I told him.

"The snow is prettier."

I snorted at his assessment. "Screw prettiness, snow serves as better ammo and now it's all gone," I said with a frown.

"Ammo?"

"Yeah. Snowballs are a perfect way to take revenge against little annoyances like Mike," I said in a whisper, nodding my head towards the blonde a few tables away.

Edward chuckled in humor as he shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand the way your mind works," he said ambiguously. His eyes stared into mine as if he was trying to piece together some puzzle.

"Believe me, you don't want to know what goes on in this screwed up little head of mine," I said as I tapped my skull.

"You couldn't be any further from the truth," he said softly under his breath, not expecting me to have heard.

_Looks like I've caught his interest. Maybe this won't be mission impossible like I previously assumed. _

Edward and I continued chatting the rest of the class while our peers struggled to finish the lab. When the bell rang Mike came prancing over to my table and glared at Edward. I quirked an eyebrow at Mike when he picked up my books.

"Uh, what're you doing?" I asked. Mike stopped glaring at Edward and turned his gaze to me. A faint blush spread over his cheeks.

"I was going to carry your books to gym for you."

"Aw well isn't that sweet," I said with false sugariness in my voice. Mike smiled triumphantly, shooting a challenging look at Edward. "But I think I am fully capable of carrying my books on my own," I finished as I snatched my books out of Mike's hands.

"See ya around Cullen!" I yelled over my shoulder as I exited the classroom. I walked briskly to gym and left a sulking Mike in my dust.

After school I got into my truck and saw Edward watching me from a few cars down. As I was backing up I saw Mike pulling out as well. I pressed down on the pedal and shot backwards. Mike had to slam on his breaks to avoid getting smashed by my monster.

"Hey, watch where you're going! You almost killed me!" Mike yelled out his window, his face more pale than usual.

I poked my head out my window and feigned a guilty look. "Oh my gosh Mike, I am like so sorry. I wasn't paying attention." I almost shuddered at the fact that I had been able to copy Jessica's high pitched whine so well.

Upon seeing it was me, Mike quickly dismissed it and said I shouldn't worry about it. I just rolled my eyes at how easy it was to play with him.

I grinned happily for my success in scaring the shit out of Mike and finished backing out of my spot. When I looked out the window I saw Edward shaking his head in laughter. I raised a hand and tilted my invisible hat in his direction, my way of saying thank you for enjoying the show. Exiting the parking lot, I glanced into my rear view mirror and saw Cullen was still watching me, a smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** **SM owns all. **

**A/N: **Okay, so just wanted to warn you guys that school is starting and my writing time will be cut drastically. I am currently working on an original piece too that I post on ficpress so any writing time I do have will be split between these two stories. I'm gonna **try** to keep the updates coming once a week but I really can't make that a promise. Basically what I'm trying to say is don't kill me if updates are a little slow DX so yeah...

ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

**LAMB? HAHA, YEAH RIGHT**

**Chapter 3**

My mood was much brighter than it had been since I arrived in Forks. Yesterday I had made significant progress on my assignment by actually speaking with one of the animal-drinkers and then this morning I awoke to a snow-covered world. The ground was blanketed in the white fluffy stuff and ice crystals hung from the trees. It was beautiful.

I had seen snow before, but in the cities, snow wasn't like this. City snow and this snow had nothing in common. One was grayish slush that lay in soupy puddles in the streets and sidewalks. The other was white and pristine, providing wonder and fun for those who got to experience it.

_I'm going to have so much fun sniping Mike, _I thought, as I made my way downstairs.

Charlie raised an eyebrow in question when I skipped into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Someone's in a good mood today," he commented wryly.

"What are you talking about? I'm always in a good mood," I said cheerfully.

Charlie snorted, "Mmhmm, sure kid, whatever you say."

"Fine, I will admit that I'm not always the happiest of people but even the Grinch can have a good day," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Hey, you're not getting any complaints from over here, although I am curious to know what's got you so chipper this morning," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I made contact with one of the animal-drinkers yesterday."

Charlie got up to put his plate in the sink. "And?"

"And nothing, it just means I'm making progress. Isn't that reason enough to be happy?" I asked him, not quite sure what he wanted me to say.

Charlie turned a critical eye on me, studying my face, although I don't know what he was looking for. Maybe I had a pimple.

_Ew….._

"Yeah, it is," he admitted after a few seconds. He grabbed his coat and pulled it on. "I'm off to work. Be safe on the roads, they're icy."

I rolled my eyes at Charlie's attempt to baby me but I still smiled at the fact that he was concerned about my well-being.

Having a parental-type-ish figure in Charlie was new to me but it was nice, sort of. Lucas had adopted me when I was just two months old with the sole purpose of training me to be the greatest hunter of my generation.

He had never acted the part of a father, keeping any interaction between us purely business-like, or I guess more along the lines of master and apprentice. And then when I had surpassed his and my other teachers' skill levels he had just become a permanent stick up my ass by ordering me around. So Charlie showing even an ounce of care for my safety was a weird but welcomed experience.

I never regretted the way I was brought up, never found myself wishing for more, but maybe that was just because I hadn't known what I was missing…

Cringing at my own sappiness, I shook myself from that melancholy train of thought and finished getting ready for school.

A shiver went down my spine when I opened the front door and was assaulted by a cold wind. I let out a huff of air and could feel my cheeks getting red from the icy cold weather. I grinned when I saw the driveway was frozen over with ice.

Swinging my backpack up onto my shoulders I sprinted down the steps and then skidded down the slick driveway, my feet skating across the ice and coming to a perfect stop at the front door of my truck. I bowed to the silent applause for my daring feat before jumping into my truck.

Anyone who might have been watching me would probably think I was crazy and they probably would have been correct, cause I was crazy cool. Yeah uh huh, I said it. You heard me. Bella Swan is the crazy-cool vampire hunter. Well either that or the incredibly-bored-and-in-need-of-entertainment vampire hunter, but that was too long of a title.

I had already put chains on my tires the day before so I had no problem navigating my monster down the tiny ice-covered streets. Once I got to school I hopped out of my truck and walked to the back of my truck to see how the chains had held up. Crouching down, I saw that the chains were still on fine.

As I was standing back up, a screeching sound from behind caused me to snap my head around to find the source. My eyes widened in shock when I saw a van spinning wildly across the ice, headed straight for me.

_Shit, _I thought in annoyance.

See, this moment right now, yeah this is typically the point in time where some stupid damsel in distress just stands there, staring in shock as death approaches.

But I'm not one of those stupid girls.

I wasn't going to do the whole "life flashing before my eyes" thing. No, I was going to react.

Adrenaline shot through my system.

I could _see_ the shocked and horrified faces of every student in the parking lot- including Edward Cullen who was a few cars away standing next to his stupid shiny Volvo. I could _hear_ the gasps of the spectators, the beginnings of screams, the shrill wind, the screeching whine of metal on metal. I could _feel_ the frozen ground under my feet and the small pricks on my face as snowflakes hit my skin. I could _smell_ the freshness of the air that always accompanied a snowfall and the burning scorch of hot metal.

Just as I went to launch myself out of the van's intended path I was hit by a strong force from another direction. My head slammed into the ground and I winced when my eyes blacked out. I heard the sound of metal being crushed and glass shattering before my vision cleared again.

When I looked up I was staring into the eyes of Edward Cullen.

_What. The. Fuck? _

"Bella? Bella, are you alright?" He asked in a worried tone.

It took me a second to figure out what he had done and then I had to take a deep breath in order to calm down my rising temper.

_There's no way Edward could have known I was capable of saving myself. He didn't know; he was just trying to help,_ I repeated in my head a few times to calm myself down.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position and swayed when a wave of dizziness washed over me.

Edward tightened his grip around me and pulled me against his side, propping my body against his and giving me support. For some reason I found myself liking the position we were in but I quickly shrugged it off as having something to do with me just taking a hard hit to the head, courtesy of the stupid vampire boy next to me.

Cause in all honesty there was no way I would like being in such close proximity to a vampire unless I was killing it, right?

…_.Right._

"Bella, please, say something. I need to know you're okay," Edward said, panic evident in his voice.

I raised my hand to my head and winced when I felt a tender spot. Thankfully it wasn't bleeding or else I would have had a serious problem on my hands. Well, _technically_ Edward would have had a serious problem on his hands cause if he ever lost control around me I would be forced to destroy him.

"I'm fine, I just hit my head."

I could hear screams coming from all around us, telling me to stay still, to get a kid named Tyler out of the van, and to call an ambulance. Looking around I could see glass littered across the ground. The van was a foot away from Edward's back. My eyes narrowed in on the dent in its side. It was shaped as if a human- vampire- had halted the van's progress with his hand.

_I can use this to my advantage, _I thought happily.

I looked up into Edward's eyes and saw him studying me carefully. "How'd you get over here so fast?" I asked and his eyes immediately narrowed.

"What are you talking about?" His voice was tight and had an edge to it.

"I saw you over by your car. No normal _human_ could have gotten over here in time to save me. So how'd you do it?" Most people would have emphasized the normal part but I already knew he wasn't human so I felt it was best to nudge him in the right direction- admitting he was a vampire.

Edward gave me a strange look. "Bella, are you sure you didn't hit your head harder than you think? I was right next to you, don't you remember?" My eyes narrowed in annoyance when he dodged the question.

_Well played Cullen, very well played. Sadly, for you, it won't be good enough. _

"No actually, I remember quite clearly that you were standing right next to your Volvo. Now, I'm sure that when we get up, you will see that your Volvo is parked six cars down right between the red Honda Civic and the blue Ford Focus," I said confidently.

Edward's eyes got panicky. "Bella, please…just drop it," he begged. I almost felt guilty for causing him stress about his secret being revealed, but my job was the most important thing in the world to me.

"No Edward, I won't. You _will_ tell me what happened," my voice was stern, leaving no room for him to object.

Edward gave an aggravated sigh. "Fine," he said tersely. "But not now."

We sat their in silence- Edward had a frown on his face, while I was trying to suppress a grin- until the people managed to shift the van so we could move.

The paramedics ushered us towards the ambulances. I saw Charlie standing a few yards away by his cruiser and made a quick detour. I handed off my gun and knives to him so the paramedics wouldn't see them. He gave me a worried look but I just waved him off and hopped into an ambulance.

Once we were at the hospital they made me lay down in the emergency room while I waited for a doctor to come check on me. I could see the Tyler kid being wheeled in and winced when I saw how banged up he was. It didn't look like he had broken anything but he had quite a few cuts that would need a lot of stitches.

"How you feeling, Tyler?" I asked while the nurses fussed around him.

"Bella? Oh my gosh, I'm so so so sorry. Are you okay? I heard Cullen was pulled out with you, is he okay? Gosh, I don't even know what happened…" he speed-spoke.

"Tyler!" I shouted to get him to stop and then smiled at him to ease his nerves.

Hey, the guy might have almost killed me but it worked out for the best since now I was one step closer to breeching the topic of being a vampire with Edward. In a way I felt like I should be thanking him.

"I'm fine. Edwards's fine, as far as I know. It wasn't your fault. It was that darn ice," I said jokingly. Tyler gave me a relieved smile.

He waved goodbye as they wheeled him to another room. I occupied my time by counting the tiles on the floor. I got to twenty-three when Charlie burst through the doors.

He ran his eyes over my body, looking for injuries. When he saw for himself that I was okay he let out a sigh.

"Shit, kid, you gave me a fright."

"Aw, you care. You really, really care," I said as I wiped a fake tear from my eye.

Charlie rolled his eyes at my theatrics before taking a seat next to me. "I heard you hit your head. Obviously it wasn't hard enough, I was hoping for an attitude adjustment."

I snorted at his comment. "Pssh, you know you love me the way I am."

Charlie huffed in response.

A few seconds later, a doctor came over to check on me. More precisely, a _vampire_ doctor came over to check on me.

I had known that one of the vampires was a doctor, but hearing about it from Charlie and seeing it for myself were very different things. And even though I was seeing it with my own eyes I still found it hard to believe a vampire could control their thirst when surrounded my bleeding humans.

_Damn, his self-control has got to be ridiculous. _

I glanced at Charlie and saw that he was relaxed. He seemed completely trusting of these vampires- something I couldn't fathom. Maybe it was because he had been retired for so long, or maybe it was just because he wanted this mission to succeed more than I did.

I had talked about it before with Charlie. It had been strange that it had taken him two years to report these vampires. As soon as I had gotten here I had questioned him about it. The only explanation he had been able to give is that he was gathering information before reporting it. I think it was because he had feared the organization would ignore the animal-drinker detail and just kill the Cullens.

Looking back at the doctor I could see that his nature was kind, not even my prejudices against vampires could blind me to that. He gave me a nice smile, dimples making an appearance and everything.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he introduced himself.

"Hi doc, I'm Bella Swan," I said.

"I hear you had quite the run in with an out-of-control van," he said as he glanced down at my chart.

"Indeed I did. So you're hero-boy's father then?" I asked, trying to feel him out.

"If you are speaking of Edward, then yes I am," he responded calmly.

"Hmm, well if you see your son tell him thanks for saving my life. I was extremely lucky that he was standing right beside me, huh?"

Doc's eyes narrowed slightly at my question before he forcibly relaxed all his features. A normal human wouldn't have picked up on the subtle facial cues but I had been trained since a young age to observe and analyze every detail my eyes saw.

"I guess so. He always has had fast reflexes."

I nodded my head slowly and let him proceed with the checking of my health.

"And how are you feeling Ms. Swan?" He asked as he shone a light in my eye.

"Other than being blinded by your little flashlight thing? Fan-fucking-tastic," I replied with a grin, hoping to make him ignore the suspicion he had been starting to feel at my questioning. I can't have Doc suspecting poor little me, now can I?

He seemed shocked by my crude language but then chuckled in humor. I was two for two in entertaining the Cullens.

He ran his fingers through my hair and touched my tender skull. I tried to suppress a wince but was unsuccessful.

"You know, it's okay to admit when you're in pain," he said with a fatherly smile. Or at least that's how I imagine a father would smile.

"Yeah, but that's just not my style," I said with a smirk.

I glanced at the door when Edward walked in, his eyes cautious as he looked at me. Doc glanced over at him and I could clearly read the concern in his face. Edward looked at him with pained eyes and I could see that he felt guilty. Guilt started to well up in my own chest but I quickly squashed it as an unnecessary emotion to be feeling.

_I'm doing my job,_ I told myself sternly.

"Well, I'll subscribe you some pain meds for the head injury. You don't appear to have a concussion; your skull is just tender. You're free to take her home Chief Swan, she probably shouldn't go back to school," Doc said, bringing my attention back to him. I smiled happily at him, liking him because of the mere fact that he said I didn't have to go back to the wretched horror known as school.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks for the help doc," I said as I got up from the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse hero-boy and me for a second, this saved damsel in distress would like to express her gratitude." I walked out of the emergency room and down one of the hallways, knowing Edward was following behind me.

Once I found a secluded spot I turned on Edward. "Spill."

Edward crossed his arms in front of himself, a defensive position he must have retained from when he was human. "I don't know what you're talking about Bella."

I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness. It would be so much easier if he would just admit it already.

"I'm talking about the fact that you somehow managed to travel at least six yards in less than two seconds. That's not normal Edward."

Edward narrowed his eyes in annoyance and his jaw clenched in frustration. "I was right beside you, Bella. Your memory must have been affected when you hit your head," he said, dismissing the whole situation.

"I didn't hit my head that hard, Edward," I growled out.

"Yes well when you accuse me of impossible things it makes me question your mental facilities," Edward responded haughtily.

I seriously wanted to hurt him in that moment but I clenched my hands and took a calming breath before I did anything irrational. I might be hot-tempered, but I am _not_ stupid. Taking on a vampire without any weapons whatsoever would be idiotic and most likely end up with me being seriously injured or even killed.

"Fine Edward, you can deny it all you want, but I know what I saw," I said before turning around and walking away.

I was annoyed as hell that he could use my head injury as an excuse to explain away the whole thing, but I wasn't really left with any other option except letting him think he had won.

It was too soon to accuse him of being a vampire; he hadn't slipped up enough. But, now that I knew he _did_ make slips, it would only be a matter of time before a "normal" human would come to the conclusion that he was a vampire, or at least not human. I just had to be patient.

I think I could do that. No seriously, I could be patient…

Fuck, who am I trying to kid? I've never been one for sitting around and waiting for something to happen. Guess I'd just have to push Edward a little. Once I got him to crack, the damn would break and all the information about the family would flow out.

His little 'phenomenon' today had been the impetus. Right now we were flying towards my goal of having Edward admit what he was and I sure as hell was not going to let his stubbornness slow me down.

_You're going to admit you're a vampire, Edward, whether you want to or not. _

I stomped my way back down the hall and to the emergency room where Charlie was waiting. He quirked an eyebrow in question but I just stalked past him. I abruptly back-tracked into the emergency room when I saw the waiting room was filled with a dozen of my peers.

"Problem?" Charlie asked as he came up beside me and peered out the door.

"I need you to create a distraction," I said quickly. Charlie chuckled at my request.

"Nope."

"What do you mean no?" I asked him in disbelief.

"I mean, _no_. Are you sure you didn't hit your head harder than you think? No is a fairly easy word to understand," he said.

I hated Charlie for accusing me of the same thing Edward just had. "I know what no means. I meant, why was your answer no?"

"My answer is no because I think you should lighten up and interact with other kids your age." I glared at Charlie for two reasons. One he was abandoning me to the rabid pack of gossip monsters outside and two he had implied I was a kid, again. I was getting freak'n tired of him doing that.

"You're mean," I said.

"Never claimed not to be," he said with an amused grin. "I'll be waiting for you in the car."

I glared at his back as he walked out the door and through the crowd of people. Some of them asked him if I was okay and he just gave brief responses before making his getaway relatively unprovoked.

My eyes scanned my surroundings, looking for a possible escape route. I smiled broadly when I saw a nurse wheeling a hospital bed stop just a foot away from the door.

I made sure no one was watching the door when I slipped out and under the bed and on to the cart thingy, my body covered by the hanging sheets. I waited patiently for the nurse to stop talking to a paramedic and then smiled smugly when she resumed wheeling the bed down the hall. I peeked through an opening in the sheets and saw an exit sign above a door a few yards away.

Just as we went to pass the door I rolled out from the wheelie-bed.

"Wh- Hey!" I heard the nurse yell in shock as I burst out of the hospital. I darted through the parking lot, sticking low to the ground and hiding behind the cars parked there as I made my way to Charlie's cruiser.

I sighed in relief when I opened the door and slid in beside him. Charlie stifled his laughter and shook his head before starting up the cruiser and pulling out of the parking lot.

"It's not funny," I grumbled.

Charlie grinned widely at me. "Sure it is. The infamous vampire hunter Isabella Swan is afraid of a few little harmless teenagers."

"Harmless?" I asked in shock.

"Harmless? Those teenagers are _not_ harmless! They are a danger to my physical and mental health. There is this one slimy creature, Mike, who has the ability to make me sick in the stomach when he tries to hit on me, and I mean like full-on want to throw up kind of sick," I said, clenching my stomach to emphasize my point.

"Then there is this innocent little thing, Eric, who can make me feel like I am kicking a puppy if I don't accept his help. I mean, how am I supposed to deal with that?" I asked with a sad expression.

"And then there is the worst creature of all… Jessica Stanley," I said with an exaggerated shudder. "This creature has the ability to make me seriously contemplate doing a Van Gogh and chopping my ear off just so I won't be subjected to her annoying whine ever again," I said as I muffled my ears with my hands.

"They aren't harmless Charlie, they are dangerous little creatures," I said in a dramatic whisper, my eyes wide to express my fear of having to deal with them.

Charlie darted his eyes from the road and to my seriously worried face. "You are kind of crazy, you know that, right?"

I sighed and leaned back into my seat. "Crazy cool? Yes, I did know that."

Charlie gave me another questioning look but decided not to ask and contented himself with just driving us home. I spent the ride thinking about my next move with Edward.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. **

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**LAMB? HAHA, YEAH RIGHT**

**Chapter 4**

_I hate school, _I thought as yet another person, who for the life of me I could not recall ever meeting, asked me if I was doing okay.

My almost-encounter with death was the talk of the school for the rest of that week. I heard my name on everyone's lips and yet no one felt the need to talk about or to Cullen. It freak'n pissed me off.

Why was it that they didn't bother him but buzzed around me all day asking me to describe the accident? I was fairly certain that Edward would at least be polite enough to answer their questions whereas I just told them to 'fuck off' after the first fifteen people had asked me. Maybe they were just gluttons for punishment.

A few of the people had just laughed when I told them to go fuck themselves, thinking I was joking. That was probably for the best though because it would have made it a little awkward if they knew just how serious I was being.

In all honesty I wasn't sure whom I felt like killing more- the hoards of babbling idiots or the somber, brooding vampire named Edward Cullen. Before the accident, Edward had somehow made it on to my list of "Tolerable People," a huge deal considering that list was very, very, very short and there was the little detail that he was a vampire, a being I had been training to kill since before I could remember.

But after the accident? Well let's just say that now he was high up on my very, very, very _long_ list of "People I Would Enjoy Killing." He was still below Jessica and Mike, but at the rate he was earning shit points from me he might surpass them soon.

The day after the accident in Biology I had come in, still slightly annoyed with the talk we had at the hospital, but willing to let it slide. Then Edward had to go and get me all pissed off at him by ignoring my presence.

I had walked in and said "Hello," only to have him glance at me, nod, and then ignore me. I had sat down next to him stiffly, trying to control my temper.

It continued on that way for weeks- Edward ignoring me in class while I tried with every fiber of my being to stop myself from releasing my hold on my temper.

It was obvious enough that he wanted as much distance to be put between us as possible. He had realized that he had made a huge mistake in saving my life because it threatened to expose him and his coven. I could see why it was necessary for him to cease interacting with me but it still pissed me the fuck off. His self-hatred for his slip up was affecting my progress on my mission.

Plus, it's not like I had even asked him to save me. I had been perfectly capable of handling the situation myself. His little act of heroism had just ended up with me getting a knock to the head and a serious obstacle for my mission, his cautiousness.

_Stupid vampire…_

My month just kept on getting shittier and shittier too. Lucas was constantly emailing me, asking for updates and lecturing me about how important this mission was when I told him I wasn't making any progress.

I mean, who the fuck did he think he was? I was trying my hardest not to ruin the mission by killing Edward out of annoyance and he had the gall to question me about why I hadn't been invited over for fucking tea with the animal-drinker coven? If he wanted progress so badly, then he could get off his lazy ass and come complete the mission himself.

Oh and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Mike had apparently taken the Cold War between Edward and I as an open invitation to make his unwanted presence a consistent annoyance in my life. His efforts at flirting with me were at an all time high. He would walk me to Biology after lunch and stand in front of my desk chattering away about useless gossip.

I hadn't even been able to take some of my annoyance out on him by sniping him with snowballs because rain had come and washed away all of my beautiful ammo.

Then there was also the added nuisance of Tyler. He had been following me around and asking if there was anything he could do for me. I figured it was just his guilty conscience but now I just think he used it as an in to get closer to me. It had been amusing at first but it was starting to get on my nerves.

Suffice to say, I was one extremely pissed off vampire hunter. About three weeks into the Cold War Charlie had decided to confiscate my gun, saying he could see I was too on edge to bring it to school. I had glared at him at first but realized he was probably correct. My daydreams about shooting Mike, Jessica, and Edward were very enticing and it would probably be best not to make them a reality.

And as if my life hadn't been getting bad enough, the Gods- with their cruel sense of humors- decided to announce the girl's choice spring dance at Forks High.

_Kill. Me. Now. Please. _

Jessica had made me aware of this event when she had called me to ask me the most ridiculous question I had ever heard in my life.

"Are you sure you weren't going to ask Mike?" Her usually whiney voice asked in a near-whisper. She sounded timid actually. Her tone of voice was the only reason I stopped myself from laughing my ass off.

It was obvious enough that the girl had a crush on the prick, and although I was concerned for her mental health because she was attracted to him, I decided not to make her feel worse.

"No Jessica, I am not nor was I ever planning on asking Mike to the dance. I'm not even going."

Why the hell would I want to see my classmates outside of school? I can barely tolerate them when it's a necessity.

_Except Angela, she's cool._

"You're not?" She asked, her voice much lighter and happier than a second ago. "But it's going to be so much fun," she continued after realizing a friend should try to convince another friend to go.

Both Jessica and I knew she didn't actually like me as a friend. She just liked to hang around me because for some unknown reason I was popular. Once it was in one of their heads that I was popular it was pretty much a title adopted by the rest of the flock.

I think my popularity had something to do with me being different. I wasn't like any of the other kids at Forks High and people were intrigued by the unknown. We are quite the curious race of beings.

Of course, the Cullens were different too, but approaching a group of five people is much more difficult than swarming around a lone wolf. I was more approachable just based on the simple fact that I was one person.

Then of course there was the instinct most humans had to avoid vampires. I might have been as dangerous as a vampire but I was still just a human. My snarky remarks and bitingly sarcastic tongue did nothing to stop them from latching on to me like leeches.

"Mmhmm, I'm sure it will be but it's just not my scene. You and Mike have fun though!" I said in a fake-cheerful voice before hanging up on her without waiting for a reply.

The next day at school was sufficiently awkward. Jessica was very somber and shuffled around school looking utterly dejected. I was fairly certain that Mike had rejected her and I was also fairly certain I knew why. I sighed when lunch came around and Jessica sat as far from Mike as possible. Mike kept glancing at me throughout lunch but I ignored him and chatted away with Angela.

Unfortunately I couldn't escape Mike forever because Biology soon arrived. I glared at Edward when I walked through the door but it went unseen since his eyes were fastened on the table in front of him.

As soon as I took my seat Mike came over to stand in front of me. I ignored his presence by pretending to search for a pencil in my backpack. He shifted from foot to foot but didn't speak. After a few seconds I heaved a sigh and decided to just get this over with.

"What do you want Mike?" I asked in a bored tone. Mike swallowed nervously.

"Uh…Jessica asked me to the spring dance," he said slowly, his eyes staring at me intently to gauge my reaction. I stared blankly back at him.

"Yeah, I figured she would. I told her to last night when she called me." Mike's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh…you did?" His voice squeaked. "I, uh, I told her I would have to think about it."

"Why? You guys are perfect for each other." _You both love the sound of your own voices and you both make me want to kill you,_ I thought to myself.

Mike's cheeks became a bright red and he looked really embarrassed. If the guy hadn't been as annoying as he was, then I might have taken pity on him and been nicer about rejecting him.

"I was wondering if maybe…_you_ were going to ask me."

_I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. _

"No, I wasn't." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward tilt his head towards us slightly.

_Really? Now you decide to take an interest?_

"You should accept Jessica's offer. You'll have lots of fun."

Mike glanced at Edward. "Were you going to ask someone else?" He asked timidly.

"No, I'm not going."

Mike's eyes narrowed and his voice became petulant. "Why not?"

"Because I have other plans. I'm going to Seattle," I quickly thought up an excuse. I hadn't really thought about it but now that I said it I liked the sound of it.

"What will you be doing there?" Mike demanded as his arms crossed over his chest.

_Jeez, he's like a freak'n two year old, throwing a hissy fit when he doesn't get his way._

I clenched my hands into fists to prevent myself from slapping him. He wasn't even man enough to deserve a punch.

"It's none of your business, Mike," I said in a biting voice, my eyes flashing in annoyance. Mike seemed to catch on to my worsening mood and finally left me alone and returned to his own desk.

I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths to soothe my fiery temper. Mr. Banner's monotone voice was boring enough to help calm me down. When I opened my eyes I glanced at Edward and found him staring directly at me. I thought he would divert his eyes but he didn't. He just sat there, staring. So I sat there and stared right back. If he wanted to act childish and have a staring contest then who was I to deny him?

Our staring match was broken when Mr. Banner called upon Edward to answer a question. His eyes remained on mine for a second before flickering to our teacher as he answered. I stared at him for a few more seconds but his eyes remained on the front of the class.

Huffing in annoyance I returned my attention to Mr. Boring's, I mean Banner's boring lecture. It was about the Krebs Cycle, and that's pretty much all the information I retained.

When the bell rang I packed up my backpack and slung it over my shoulder as I got up from the incredibly uncomfortable chair.

"Bella?" His voice called from behind me. My fingers tightened their grasp around my backpack strap and I tried to remind myself that I needed to get him to talk to me again. I couldn't let my annoyance with him get too out of hand.

_Control yourself, control yourself,_ I repeated the mantra over and over in my mind.

I slowly turned around to face the source of most of my annoyance this past month and a half. My eyes regarded him warily, wondering why now of all times he had decided to call my name. He didn't speak again and instead just stared at me with a contemplative look on his face. I couldn't help but let my temper slip a little.

"Oh what? Has Edward deemed me worthy to hear his voice once again?" I asked in a snappish voice and Edward's lips quirked up slightly in amusement at my show of annoyance.

"No, not really," he said lightly. My eyes narrowed further.

"Then what do you want Edward?" My voice was clipped, barely containing the rage coursing through my veins. I wasn't used to having conversations with vampires, I was used to killing them. I closed my eyes, thinking that maybe if I didn't look at him then I could control my temper better.

"I'm sorry," he said and my eyes snapped open. I took in his sincere expression and felt some of my previous annoyance with him start to wane. "I know I'm being rude, but it's better this way, really."

I rolled my eyes at his statement. "Uh huh, and why's that?"

"It's just better if we aren't friends. I can't afford to get close to you," he explained.

"Yes, well maybe you should have thought about that _before_," I said through gritted teeth. Lucas took Edward's act of heroism as a sure sign I could complete this mission. Before there had been a chance that I could still get out of the mission, but not anymore, now I was stuck in Forks. "It would have saved both you and me a lot of trouble."

Edward looked at me critically, his eyes narrowed at my tone of voice. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you shouldn't have saved me from the van. If you hadn't done that then your life would have been so much simpler." _And I could have gone back to my normal life._

Edward's mouth dropped open slightly before snapping shut and his jaw clenching. "You think I regret saving your life?" He asked and his voice had an edge to it.

"I know you do," I said confidently. He had almost exposed his coven; of course he would regret that.

"You don't know _anything_," he said, his voice mad and his eyes flashing dangerously.

I turned my head away from him, trying to think of what he meant by that.

_He has to regret it, right? Why wouldn't he?_

I couldn't even begin to come up with a logical answer to those questions.

It was one rule that all vampires lived by. _Don't expose their existence._ It's a rule that kept them safe, or as safe as they could be. If they kept tight lipped about what they were and where they were then it made it more difficult for us to find them and kill them. So why would Edward _not_ be mad at himself and me for almost exposing his coven? It didn't make sense.

I glanced at Edward and saw he was still mad. I decided that I wasn't going to make any progress with him when he was in that sort of mood so I turned around and left. I glided out the door and to my next class, Gym.

We were playing basketball, a sport I didn't particularly like. The people on my team quickly realized they shouldn't pass it to me because I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing. I would pass it to them without taking any care to aim and the ball would either end up soaring over their heads or hit them in the shins.

Thoughts of the confusing entity known as Edward Cullen swirled around in my head, keeping me occupied till the end of school. I was still lost in thought when I walked to my truck in the parking lot. When I turned the corner and saw a dark figure leaning against my truck I very nearly let my instincts take over and plunge a knife into their shoulder. Luckily my brain identified the shadow as Eric before my body reacted.

"Hi Eric," I said.

"Hi Bella," he responded in a nervous voice.

_Oh god, not again…_

When I didn't further prompt the conversation Eric decided to broach the topic I really wished he wouldn't.

"Uh…I was wondering if maybe you would want to go to the spring dance with me," he said softly as he shifted nervously on his feet. I might have enjoyed rejecting Mike, but rejecting Eric was going to be like kicking a puppy.

"I thought it was girl ask guy," I said slowly.

Eric looked at the ground out of embarrassment. "It is," he said in a weak voice.

I decided to take pity on the guy. "Thanks for asking Eric but I'm not going to the dance. I have other plans for that day."

"Oh, okay then," he said with a weak smile. "Bye." I watched Eric quickly shuffle out of sight.

Edward walked by the front of my truck, his mouth a thin line and his eyes not even glancing in my direction. I hopped into my monster and let out a deep breath when the familiar roar of my truck met my ears. I revved the engine and reversed out of my spot, only to be cut off from the exit by a stupid shiny Volvo. Edward had blocked the road with his car as he waited for his fellow vampires. Our eyes met in his rear-view mirror and I could see he was doing it just to piss me off.

I glanced in my own rear-view mirror and saw the remaining animal-drinkers were still all the way by the cafeteria. Tyler was in a car behind me and two more cars were waiting behind him. I glanced forward at the tiny obstacle in my path and wondered if it might just be better to smash it to little bits.

_Charlie is the Chief of Police, how much trouble could I really get into?_ I thought happily. I shifted my monster out of park and was just about to step on the gas and slam into the stupid shiny Volvo when someone knocked on my window.

I glanced to the side and found a smiling Tyler. Sighing in defeat I shifted my truck back into park and rolled down my window to find out what Tyler wanted.

"Listen if it's about the holdup then you need to go hassle Cullen about it," I said dully.

"Oh, no this isn't about that," he said happily.

"Okay then what is this about?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you would ask me to the spring dance," he said in a confident voice.

"I have other plans for that day. I won't even be in town," I repeated my excuse for the third time that day.

"Oh so that was the truth? I was hoping you were just letting Mike down easy," he said in disappointment.

"Nope, it's the truth."

Tyler shook off his disappointment quickly and gave me a huge grin. "Not a problem, we still have prom!" He chirped before walking back to his car.

I shook my head in annoyance.

_What the fuck is wrong with these boys? How am I appealing at all? It's not as if I give off a dateable vibe. If anything they should be scared of me, _I thought, completely bewildered by the day's events.

When I glanced up I saw Edward studying me in his rear-view mirror, his eyes seemed to be filled with amusement. My eyes narrowed in irritation. Just as I shifted into drive, intent on fulfilling my plan from earlier, the rest of the animal-drinkers slipped into the car and Edward sped off.

I drove home, grumbling to the gods and asking them why they had decided to punish me so.

When I got home I unleashed some of my pent up anger on the punching bag I had set up in the garage a few weeks ago. It wasn't good enough. I decided to start making dinner and rid myself of any lingering anger by harshly chopping up the vegetables. It felt good to be able to slice through something with a knife again.

I asked Charlie to spar with me after dinner and he finally agreed. The past few weeks he had been refusing to spar with me because he could see I was not quite as in control of my temper as I should be. By the time we were done all my annoyance and anger from the day had dissipated.

We were sitting on the couch, letting or muscles relax, when he brought up the topic I had been hassled about all day.

"So are you going to the spring dance?"

I looked at Charlie with an incredulous expression and he quickly discerned my answer. "Right, stupid question. So what will you be doing then?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not sure yet but I was thinking of going to Seattle. I miss big cities."

"Well I can't really stop you from going but just be safe okay?"

I chuckled at Charlie's concern. "Don't worry about me old man, I can handle myself."

Charlie smiled at me. "I know you can, but I also know that you like confrontation and might go looking for some trouble."

"Naw, I just want to get out of here for a day. This mission is driving me insane."

Charlie laughed. "Kid, I'm pretty sure you were a little insane before you were assigned this mission."

I sighed when Charlie called me a kid. We had sort of settled into an unspoken agreement that if he could call me kid then I could call him old man. Getting mad about it just wasn't worth it anymore. Charlie wasn't scared of me so it's not like I could bully him into stopping.

"Possibly, but I believe all hunters are just a little insane don't you think? I mean, what sane person would think it's a good idea to go toe to toe with a ridiculously fast and strong immortal-ish being?"

"Good point."

The next morning I arrived at school in a much better mood. I just hoped that I could retain that good mood. I got out of my truck and was busy searching for a piece of gum in my backpack when I felt a presence behind me.

I turned around a found Edward leaning against my truck, studying me with his amber eyes. We regarded each other warily. Never having been one to enjoy silence I decided to speak first.

"What was up with the fucking traffic jam yesterday, Cullen?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

Edward let a small smile slip onto his face and an amused sparkle came into his eyes. "Oh, well I had to give Tyler the chance to ask you to the dance. It wouldn't have been fair if he was the only one left out."

I huffed in annoyance. "Just because you regret your decision to save my life doesn't mean you should dedicate your time to trying to annoy me to death."

Edward's eyes narrowed in anger and his jaw clenched. "You pretend like you know everything Bella, but you are sorely mistaken," he said in a reprimanding tone.

Realizing my control was slipping I turned on my heels and stalked away from Edward. It kind of shocked me because I was typically a violent person. If it hadn't been for the mission I probably would have tried to hurt him.

Apparently he didn't catch on that I wanted to be left alone and he followed after me, easily able to keep stride because of his longer legs.

I heard him give an aggravated sigh. "Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that so harshly, no matter how true it might be." I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye and could see irritation still simmering in his eyes.

"You suck at apologies, you know that right?"

Edward chuckled and his eyes lightened in humor. "I don't typically have any reason to apologize. I'm out of practice."

I continued walking towards the school and Edward glided across the asphalt right beside me. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Yes actually, I wanted to ask you something." I stopped under an overhang and turned to face Edward who was studying me.

"Well?" I prompted when he didn't speak.

"I was wondering if a week from Saturday- you know, the night of the spring dance…"

"Don't do it Edward," I growled out, not amused at all by what he was saying.

"Do what?" He asked innocently, but I could see amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Don't even think about asking me something about the dance."

Edward's lips raised in a small smile. "I wasn't going to. Will you let me finish?"

I regarded him warily but nodded my head in confirmation.

"I was wondering if you would like a ride to Seattle," he said. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.

"With you?"

Edward nodded his head.

"Why?" Don't get me wrong, I was all for it considering it would be a good way to get back on track with my mission but it was still an unexpected proposal.

"Well I was planning on going to Seattle soon anyways and I am also very concerned that your truck will break down."

I rolled my eyes at Edward's response. "My truck runs just fine."

"But can it make the trip on one tank of gas?"

I sighed. "No, it can't."

"So can I drive you?"

"Fine," I said and Edward smiled triumphantly. "But first I would like to ask why you suddenly decided to stop being a complete prick." His smile faded and he got a serious look in his eyes.

"It would be better if we weren't friends," he said solemnly.

"Then why would you ask to drive me to Seattle? That seems counterproductive," I questioned.

"I said that it would be best if we weren't friends, not that I didn't _want_ to be your friend."

"Uh huh," I said dumbly, still utterly confused about his decision.

"It would be more…_prudent_ for you not to be my friend," he explained. "But I am tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella," he said in a low voice. His eyes shone with intensity, as if trying to communicate a very important message.

"You really _should_ stay away from me," he warned a final time before walking away. I stared after him in shock, thoroughly baffled by what had just occurred.

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**A/N: **i think bella needs anger management, haha XD thanks to everyone who has added this to there faves list or on story alerts. SPECIAL THANKS to everyone that has reviewed, hearing that your hard work is appreciated is such a wonderful feeling as a writer, so thanks :)

till next time,

ash


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: SM owns all**

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**Chapter 5**

_But I am tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella…_

I furrowed my brows in thought, trying to figure out what exactly was going on in Edward's head. All his veiled warnings about him being dangerous- a vampire- were laughable but the intense look in his eyes when he had said…..I shook my head, deciding not to worry about it for now and just let things play out.

I slowly made my way to English, enjoying the empty hallways. When I opened the door, twenty-six heads turned to look at me.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Swan," Mr. Mason said in a sarcastic tone.

"No problemo, Mr. M," I said with a grin before skipping to my desk. Mr. Mason frowned at me but resumed his lecture once I was seated.

I was happy to see that my rejection of Mike had caused him to sit far away from me in English. Sadly his dejection did not last long because he waited for me after class with Eric and spewed random information about the weather report. Apparently there might actually be sun soon and he was trying to plan a trip to a beach nearby.

The rest of my morning classes were boring as usual. By the time lunch rolled around Mike had gone back to normal- extremely annoying and getting on my last nerve. I walked into the cafeteria and scanned it as per my usual routine. I counted four vampires and wondered where Edward could have disappeared to. I didn't have to wonder for long.

My eyes came to rest upon the lone vampire sitting at an empty table off to the side of the cafeteria. I quirked my eyebrow in interest but just shrugged off his unusual behavior. I stood in line with Jessica, looking despondently at my mush before walking towards my normal table.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica piped up from next to me.

"Is he?" I asked as I poked at my lunch with the spork. It was brown with green lumps in it.

_What the hell is in this? _

"Bella, he's still watching you," Jessica said as she poked me in the side.

My eyes flickered to where Edward was sitting and I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. He smirked at me as he crooked a finger at me to come to him. My eyes narrowed when I saw that.

"Does he mean _you_?" Jessica asked in shock.

"He better not," I growled out as I stalked towards him. When I reached the table he was occupying I stood across from where he was sitting, glaring at him.

"Were you motioning to me?" I asked.

Edward smiled at me. "Yes, I was. Would you like to join me?" He asked as he motioned towards the empty spot across from him.

I might have been pissed at him but my job was more important than my own feelings.

"Fine," I snapped as I dropped my lunch tray on the table and pointed my finger at him. "But if you _ever_ beckon me over to you like a dog again, I will seriously hurt you."

Edward's smirk became a full-fledged smile as he let a short laugh escape his lips. "That wasn't my intention but I'll be sure to never do it again."

I took my seat across from him and studied him warily, wondering what he wanted. His mouth was still lifted in a smile and his eyes were bright.

"So…." I trailed off, trying to prompt him to speak but he didn't take the cue. "This is different," I finished.

"Well," he paused as if searching for the right words. "I figured that as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly."

I stared at him critically, "Mmhmm, and why are you going to hell?"

Edward smiled briefly at me. "That's for me to know and for you not to worry about."

"You know the saying typically goes 'that's for me to know and you to find out' right?"

Edward just shrugged his shoulders and didn't comment. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the lunch table, his amber eyes gazing into mine. The shadows under his eyes were getting darker daily and I wondered when he would go feed. His eyes flickered to the side, peeking at someone behind me.

"I think your friends are upset with me for stealing you."

I glanced behind me and snorted when I saw Mike glaring at Edward and Jessica staring at us with disbelief. "They are not my friends."

Edward raised an eyebrow in interest. "They aren't?" He asked and I shook my head no. "Then why do you sit with them?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's a place to sit…plus, Angela is pretty cool."

"So then you wouldn't care if I never gave you back?" He asked with a playful glint in his eye.

"I'm not some kind of object to be passed around," I said softly, trying to hide the emotions washing through me.

In all honesty I was just an object, a tool to be used by the organization.

_I have no free will; my life is the job,_ I thought the Hunter motto.

"True…" he agreed. "Let me rephrase: so you wouldn't mind if I tried to persuade you to spend lunch with me from now on then?"

"Why the sudden change?" I asked him, ignoring his question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you go from pretending I'm invisible one minute to asking me to eat lunch with you the next." I was extremely curious to know what was buzzing around in that vampire head of his.

"I told you- I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up," he said with a small smile but his eyes told me he was being completely serious.

"Giving up?"

"Yes- giving up on trying to be good. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may," he said solemnly, his eyes darkening.

"So….what exactly does this lunch mean then? Are we friends, enemies, or maybe frenemies?"

Edward let out an amused snort. "Did you just say frenemies?"

I nodded seriously. "Yes, indeed I did."

"Well, we can try being friends. But I am warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you," he said solemnly.

My lips twitched, a smile threatening to escape. It was so funny that he was trying to protect me from himself.

"You say that a lot."

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me."

"I never claimed to be smart," I said jokingly. "So, friends?"

Edward smiled at me. "Yeah, friends."

I looked down at the water bottle in my hands to hide the pleased grin on my face.

_Sweet! Now the real work begins. _

Looking up at Edward I was caught in his deep amber eyes. I'm not sure if it was the golden color or the humanity shining from them that had me stunned.

"What are you thinking?" He asked and I decided to tell him the truth.

"I'm trying to figure out why you are so different." He wasn't like any vampire I had ever come into contact with.

Edward's jaw clenched almost imperceptibly before he forced himself to relax. I hadn't thought about the way he took what I was saying.

"Are you having any luck with that?" He asked, feigning nonchalance.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not much."

"Do you have theories?" My eyes widened slightly when I realized he was actually entertaining the idea that he was anything but human. This was a huge step towards getting him to say he was a vampire.

"A few…" I said slowly, watching him closely to gauge his reaction. I saw him become ever so slightly tense and realized I couldn't approach the vampire topic yet. He wasn't ready.

"What are your theories?" He asked, titling his head to the side, his disheveled hair falling down into his eyes.

"Not telling."

"Please," he begged.

I shook my head, no, firmly and he frowned in response.

"That is so frustrating, you know."

"What is?"

"The fact that you won't talk to me."

I rolled my eyes at him, wondering if he knew how much of a hypocrite he was being.

"What?" He asked.

"You're mad that I won't talk to you?" I asked calmly and he nodded his head.

"Yeah well guess what Cullen, I do know _exactly_ how frustrating that can be," my voice got snappish. "I know just how annoyed you can get when someone decides to be a complete prick and ignore your presence for over a month. Then, out of the blue, he suddenly decides to stop being an ass and is asking you to eat lunch with him. Yeah, I would say I know exactly how frustrating it can be to deal with someone like that."

Edward lifted his lips in an amused smile, his arms crossing in front of him. "You have a bit of a temper on you."

_Oopsies, must put a leash on my anger._

"Yeah I do, so try not to get on my bad side from now on, okay?"

He chuckled lightly but nodded his head. He glanced over my shoulder and snickered.

"You're boyfriend is mad at me. He thinks I'm upsetting you."

"Boyfriend?"

Edward returned his gaze to me and grinned. "Mike."

My eyes went round with horror and I gagged out loud. "Ew, please do not ever say that again. Even if it's just a joke."

Edward chuckled. "Aw, come one, the guy is in love with you."

"No, he isn't," I said firmly as I looked down at my mush and stabbed it with my spork.

"Sure he is. It's all over his face. Most people are easy to read." I glanced up to Edward and found him studying me once again. "Except for you," he mused. "I wonder why that is."

I looked down at my food again and pushed it around my plate, not wanting to meet his intense, golden gaze.

"Not hungry?"

Scooping up some of the brown-green mush, I put it in front of his face. "Would you want to eat this?" Edward's nose flared and he cringed.

He shook his head quickly and leaned away from the offensive stuff. I set my spork down again and studied him warily.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

Edward let a small smile grace his face. "No, I'm not hungry," he said amusedly. I nodded my head in acceptance, trusting his judgment.

"Can I ask you a favor?" I asked and Edward's eyes immediately became wary.

"That depends on what you want," he said cautiously.

"Well I was wondering if next time you decide to be an ass and ignore me you could give me a heads up."

_That way I can have Charlie lock away my guns so that when I go stir-crazy I don't shoot someone by accident._

"That sounds fair," he agreed, his eyes dancing in amusement.

I grinned at him. "Thanks."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I agreed shrugging my shoulders.

"Tell me one theory," he demanded.

I sighed and paused in thought, trying to come up with a bullshit theory I could tell him.

"Uh, mutant military experiment?"

In all honesty Wolverine was the closest theory to supporting all the traits of a vampire. He doesn't age and it's almost impossible to kill him because he has near-impenetrable armor surrounding him.

Edward furrowed his eyebrows but when he realized whom I had guessed he grinned and shook his head. "That's not very creative. You're stealing characters from Marvel."

I shrugged my shoulders and grinned. "Good thing Charlie's a cop. He can pull some strings and spring me from jail."

Edward chuckled. "Any others?"

"Radioactive spiders?"

Edward shook his head.

"Robot suit with a ridiculously cool weapons system?"

"No."

"Rich guy with a sick car and crazy martial arts skills?"

"Nope."

"Weakness to kryptonite?" I continued spewing out traits of my favorite characters.

"No, again."

"Aw shucks, looks like I'm not too good at this guessing game," I said in faux-disappointment.

Edward leaned forward on his arms again. "What if you're not guessing the right kind of characters?" He asked in a low voice. "What if I'm not one of the good guys?"

A sharp pain ran through me when I saw the seriousness in his eyes. I broke contact with his amber orbs and stared at my hands.

I'm not sure why I had that kind of reaction.

Vampires were evil.

That was _literally_ the first thing I ever learned. It's what kept me going through the years of intense training, a constant mantra I repeated over and over in my head, reminding myself that my purpose was to rid the world of this evil and save innocent lives.

But…..

Raising my eyes to meet Edward's soft amber ones, I couldn't just type-cast him as evil. Nothing he did or said could lead me to believe he was like other vampires. He had fought against his blood-lust that first day in biology, he had tried to resolve the situation by switching out of that class, he had even gone so far as to "save" my life.

Hearing him say he thought he was bad was painful to hear, because everything he had done so far had led me to believe he was truly different.

"You're dangerous," I said slowly, his eyes darkening at my admittance. "But," I continued, trying to convince both myself and him of the truth in my words, "You aren't evil."

Edward's eyes left mine as he glanced to the side. "You're wrong," he said softly, his voice sounding broken.

I cringed in pain, hoping that I wasn't. The thought of having to kill Edward if I was caused my heart to thump heavily in my chest.

A tense silence settled over us until I glanced around and saw that only a few people were left in the cafeteria.

"We're going to be late," I said, staring at Edward.

He didn't raise his eyes to meet mine and started twirling a bottle cap around his fingers. "I'm not going today."

"Why not?"

Edward finally met my eyes. "It's healthy to ditch class every once in awhile," he said lightly, his tone of voice contradicting his brooding eyes.

"Well," I paused as I got up from the lunch bench. "I guess I'll see you later then."

Edward nodded his head and then I left the cafeteria. When I finally got to biology I took my seat and tuned out Mr. Banner's voice. All of my thoughts were engrossed by the perplexing vampire boy named Edward Cullen. I was busy replaying our lunchtime conversation in my head when I heard my name being called.

"Ms. Swan!" I looked up to find Mr. Banner staring at me. "Please pay attention."

Mr. Banner started speaking again, going over the instructions for our lab today. We were doing blood-typing in preparation for the upcoming Blood-Drive. I chuckled softly when I realized this was exactly why Edward had decided to ditch.

_Smart vampire. _

Mr. Banner walked around the room handing out all the materials we needed for the lab. I waited for him to hand me my stuff and then organized it on my desk before picking up the barb. Just as I was about to prick my finger Mr. Banner called my name again.

"Ms. Swan?" When I looked at him he motioned with his hand to the slumped form at the desk next to me. "Can you help Mike to the nurse's office? Apparently he doesn't do well with blood."

I rolled my eyes when I took in Mike's pale face.

_Definitely not a real man. _

I slung Mike's arm over my shoulder and helped him steady himself as we walked outside the classroom. He leaned heavily on me and I grunted at the added weight.

"Jeez Mike, you're such a baby," I grumbled. Mike looked as if he would be blushing, but all blood had already drained from his face.

"I'm sorry Bella," he mumbled.

"It's alright," I said, heaving a sigh.

Just as we rounded the corner, Mike's foot caught on something and he lost his balance. His full body weight slammed into me and caused me to lose my footing too, resulting in both of us on the ground, Mike crushing me beneath him. I shoved on his shoulder but since he was feeling faint he was slow to react.

"Get off of me," I snapped, emphasizing my words with another push.

"Bella?" I heard a smooth voice call out. I tried to look for Edward but Mike was still squishing me.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked, his voice much closer now.

"Yeah I'm fine, can you just help me get him off of me?"

Suddenly Mike's weight was pulled off of me as Edward grabbed his arm and heaved him into a standing position.

"He doesn't look too good," Edward commented, taking in Mike's now green face.

"He apparently can't handle seeing blood," I explained as I took Mike's arm and slung it over my shoulder once again. "Want to help me get him to the nurse's office?"

Edward nodded his head and slung Mike's other arm over his shoulder.

"I thought you had killed him and you were dragging his dead body out to the woods," Edward said in amusement as we walked.

"Naw, I wouldn't do that on campus. Too many witnesses," I said with a grin.

Mike groaned at my comment, causing Edward and I to laugh.

We eventually got Mike to the nurse's office. As we were exiting, Mike yelled out my name.

"Wait! Bella!"

I turned back to him. "Yeah?"

Mike pushed himself into a sitting position. "I forgot to tell you about the beach trip this weekend," he spoke weakly, his face still pale. "Will you go with us?"

"Uh…"

"Please Bella," he whined.

"Fine," I huffed, just wanting to stop him from throwing a tantrum.

Mike glanced at Edward. "We are meeting at my dad's shop at 10 on Saturday."

"Okay," I said as I exited, Edward right behind me.

"See you in Gym!" Mike called after me.

"Ugh," I groaned, seriously wishing he would just give up this weird fascination he had with me.

As we were walking back through the front office I stopped by Ms. Cope's desk, the receptionist I had befriended my first day. I had been in here to visit her a few times since then. In all honesty she was pretty cool for an adult. She liked to gossip, which could get annoying but she wasn't shallow like Jessica.

"And how are you on this fine drizzly day, Ms. C?" I asked with a grin.

Ms. Cope chuckled in humor. "I'm good Bella, how are you?"

"Meh, just being a hero and all. Saving one innocent from the horrors of blood-typing at a time," I said casually.

"Oh well maybe a hero should get a reward," she whispered conspiratorially, logging onto her computer and typing away at the keyboard.

"You are officially excused from PE," she smiled.

I normally liked PE but today I would take any chance I had to get away from Mike.

"Aw thanks Ms. C, you're the best," I grinned. "Bye for now," I said as I waved over my shoulder.

I walked past Cullen and out the office door.

"How did you manage that?" Edward asked in shock.

I popped my collar. "I'm just cool like that," I smirked.

Edward burst out laughing, his chuckles dancing around us. When his good humor quieted I spoke up.

"So are you going to go to the little beach thing?" I asked as we walked down the sidewalk.

"Which beach?"

"Uh…La Push? I think." Edward's jaw clenched slightly when I said the name and I wondered why he would have such a reaction.

"I don't think it would be such a good idea. Mike doesn't seem to like me hanging around you," he offered as an excuse.

I snorted, "Good, all the more reason you should come along."

"Sorry but I can't."

I just shrugged my shoulders. "It's okay, save yourself, I understand."

We were approaching the back of the school now.

"So I thought you were ditching class, how'd you see me being squished by Mike?"

Edward pointed his finger towards the parking lot. "I was sitting in my car listening to music. I might be ditching but I still have to wait for my siblings to get out of class."

I glanced at his car. "Want some company while you wait?"

Edward smiled at me and nodded his head towards his car. "Sure."

We walked over to his Volvo and slid in. He turned his stereo on and the soft tinkling of piano flitted through the car.

"Claire de Lune," I nodded my head in respect.

"You know Debussy?" He asked shocked.

"Jeez, don't act so surprised, I am somewhat cultured, you know. Debussy is good but my favorite pianist is Ludovico Einaudi."

I used to listen to a lot of different composers when I did target practice. I found that piano and cello musical especially helped me focus. The satisfying _thunk_ as a knife sunk into its target was made even better when accompanied by the intense crescendos of different compositions.

The rain splattering against the windows made it seem as if we were in our own little world. I couldn't see anything outside; the only thing that existed was life inside the car. I closed my eyes and sighed in contentment. After a few minutes Edward spoke up.

"What other kind of music do you like?" Edward asked. I glanced at him and found him angled in his seat, his back leaning against the car door and his golden eyes staring directly at me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Lots."

"Like what?" He insisted, his voice intrigued.

"I listen to basically all genres of music, mostly alternative and classic rock."

Next thing I knew I was involved in an intense music discussion with him. Edward talked animatedly, his enthusiasm causing me to chuckle sometimes.

"What? You like folk music?" He asked, an incredulous expression on his face. About thirty minutes into our talk I had let it slip that I liked Damien Rice. When Edward asked me who he was, I told him he was a folk singer.

"Oh don't be so close-minded. Not all folk music is banjos and deep-southern accents. A lot of it is just very….chill music with great lyrics. Good lyrics are the mark of a great artist. It's way more meaningful than pop music. None of that cookie-cutter bullshit for me, thank you very much."

Edward gave me a gentle smile, his eyes staring at me with some unknown emotion flickering in them.

"You're very different from normal girls your age," Edward observed.

I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes again. "Some people have to grow up too fast."

"Some people never grow up," Edward said softly and I easily caught on to the double meaning in his words.

We sat in comfortable silence until we heard the school bell ring.

"Well have fun this weekend at La Push," Edward said and I turned my eyes to him.

"Won't I see you tomorrow?"

Edward shook his head. "No, Emmet and I are starting the weekend early. We are going to go hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier."

I took in the dark circles under his eyes and was content to find out he would be hunting this weekend. I turned my back to Edward when I suddenly realized something.

We had been sitting in this car for about an hour and I hadn't noticed any signs of blood-lust whatsoever. He hadn't seemed too tense and I hadn't needed to be on edge at all. As a matter of fact, I had dropped my guard more in this last hour than I ever had in my entire life.

_What's happening to me?..._

Just as I went to put my hand on the door handle Edward spoke.

"Can you promise me something?" I turned my head and nodded for Edward to continue.

"Try not to get into too much trouble this weekend."

"Define trouble," I said with a grin.

"Try not to murder anyone-named Mike- out of annoyance," he said, humor in his voice.

"No Mike's? That means Jessica's are okay to do away with."

"Bella," Edward said in a warning tone.

"Aw you ruin all my fun," I chuckled but agreed anyways. "Fine, I won't commit any heinous crimes this weekend." I got out of the Volvo and bent down to look at him through the open door. "It's been a pleasure talking with you Mr. Cullen."

Edward smiled at me. "The feeling is mutual Miss Swan."

I closed the car door and walked across the row to get to my monster. Once I slid inside I reversed out of the spot and started to exit.

As I passed by the Volvo, Edward waved to me and I waved back, pleased to see a smile still on his face.

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**A/N:** hmmmm, i don't really have anything to say...maybe i'll just beg for reviews XD

PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: SM owns all.**

**A/N:** ahhh, i am so terribly sorry it took me so long to update. School is totally kicking my a**. I have no clue what i was thinking when i decided to sign up for biology, physics, AND O chem all in the same quarter DX I must have been drinking crazy juice.

well anyways...on with the story!

oh and please review! reviews are MY brand of heroin XD

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**Chapter 6**

Friday was annoying as hell. Jessica had been trying to interrogate me about yesterday's lunch with Edward all morning. I had been able to avoid her for the most part but when lunch rolled around I couldn't run away from her any longer.

"So what did Edward want?" She asked, her eyes gazing at me intensely.

Deciding to have a little fun with her I glanced my eyes around nervously and leaned towards her in a conspiring manner. Jessica's eyes gleamed in excitement and she leaned forward as well so I could whisper to her.

"He said," I paused dramatically, "that he wanted to run away with me and have a dozen little love babies." I leaned away from her and when I saw her shocked eyes, mouth hanging open dumbly, I burst out laughing.

Jessica watched me warily for a second before realizing I had been messing with her and giving a _harrumph_ in annoyance.

"That wasn't funny," she pouted and I just shrugged my shoulders at her, a grin still plastered on my face.

The rest of lunch was spent with me trying to ignore Mike as he rambled on and on about the plans for the beach trip tomorrow.

Biology was boring and when the final bell rang I was happy that the school week was finally over.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

After dinner I told Charlie about my trip to La Push and he seemed excited. He told me that he was happy to see me acting like a "normal" teenager.

_As if I could ever be "normal,"_ I thought, deciding not to burst Charlie's bubble by saying it aloud.

"So how's the mission going?" Charlie asked as we were sitting on his couch.

"Good," I answered distractedly. As soon as Charlie mentioned the mission a set of amber eyes had flashed before my eyes.

My comfortableness in Edward's presence was starting to make me nervous. I had thought that this mission was going to be horrible because I would have to actually interact with a vampire in a non-threatening manner…but now I found it more terrifying that I didn't _mind_ interacting with Edward as much as I thought I would.

Charlie waited for me to elaborate but figured out I needed more prompting.

"Care to elaborate on that?"

I pursed my lips, trying to decide whether I should ask Charlie for his take on things.

"Have you ever…." I trailed off, nervous about voicing my new thoughts.

_Stop being so pathetic_, I chastised myself. _You are Bella Fucking Swan, woman up._

"Have you ever found that you didn't _hate_ a vampire?" I asked more confidently, peering over at Charlie to see his reaction.

Charlie looked thoughtful, his eyebrows drawn down and his mouth set in slight frown.

"Kid," he started, "out of the dozens of vampires I killed during my Hunter career, I think there was only three vampires I can say I truly hated."

I stared at him in shock. Surely, he had to be joking.

"But, but how could you not hate all vampires? They are evil," I rambled.

"Some vampires are bad, I agree whole-heartedly with you on that point, but then again so are some humans. Do you hate all the human race simply because there are some humans that are evil?" He asked calmly.

"Well no, but that's entirely different," I said.

Charlie quirked an eyebrow at me. "How so?"

"Because…because…." I trailed off, questioning my own thoughts on why it would be different.

"Because vampires kill humans? Well humans kill humans too. Or maybe it's because they are stronger than us? More powerful? Smarter? Greater? I believe that would be hatred born from envy, not something I particularly want to live by."

I frowned in thought, thinking seriously on what Charlie was saying.

'Then why did you become a vampire hunter?"

Charlie heaved a sigh. "Because I was young and believed just as the organization has programmed you to."

"The organization did not program me," I snapped, upset that he thought I was just a droid to be used for killing vampires and protecting innocents. I believed it myself; I didn't need other people telling me. "I've seen the atrocious things vampires do. I've seen the remains of innocents who were killed just to satiate a vampire's thirst."

"Kid, I'm not saying you haven't seen some horrible things. God knows I wish you hadn't been subjected to all of this at such a young age. I had a hard enough time handling that stuff myself and I was ten years older than you are now when I had my first mission."

Charlie got to his feet and settled a serious stare on me. "I'm just saying that maybe you shouldn't write off all vampires as evil because all you've been exposed to is the bad," he paused and as if _knowing_ I needed to hear the words from him, he continued, "it's okay to not hate a vampire."

Charlie nodded his head slightly, content that he had said his peace, and then left me alone to my thoughts.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Saturday morning I woke up to a pleasant warmth trickling in through my window. I blinked my eyes open slowly and smiled when I took in the golden sunrays flickering into my room. I got out of my bed and wandered over to my window, staring appreciatively at the brightness of the day.

_Why hello Mr. Sun, I missed you dearly,_ I thought jokingly to myself.

Glancing at the clock I saw that I still had a while before I needed to be at the meeting place for the beach trip. I took a warm shower and then listened to some music.

Walking out the front door to my car I found it surprising that I was actually excited for the beach trip.

The sun must be doing something to my brain.

I drove myself to Newton's Olympic Outfitters, the sporting store Mike's family owned. When I pulled up into the parking lot I saw the usual people from the lunch crowd- Angela, Mike, Eric, Jessica, Tyler, Lauren, Ben, and a few other people. I laughed when my truck let out a large bang and made most of the girls shriek.

Mike grinned gleefully at me when I stepped out of my truck and I could already see Jessica getting jealous. I rolled my eyes at her behavior, annoyed she actually believed I would want Mike's attention. I narrowed my eyes in interest when I saw the Lauren girl and her friend sneering at me.

_What the hell did I do to them?_ I thought back to the past few weeks of school and tried to figure out if I had done anything to them, but the only ones I could remember playing tricks on were Jessica and Mike.

"You came!" He exclaimed joyfully.

I nodded my head, "Yup."

"We are just waiting for Lee and Samantha…unless you invited someone else," he said carefully.

"No one else is coming that I know of."

_Not a lie; Edward wasn't coming. _

Mike smiled. "Good. Will you ride with me? It's either that or Lee's mom's minivan."

"Sure why not," I agreed.

"You can have shotgun."

_Oh if only I had a shotgun,_ I thought woefully as I glanced at Lauren and the girl who were still glaring at me. _Then I'd really give them a reason to pissed off at me. _

Once everybody had arrived we all packed into the cars and headed off for La Push. Jessica had to squeeze in between Mike and I since Lee had brought some extra people with him. I tried not to make gagging noises when Jessica shamelessly flirted with Mike and brushed her chest against Mike's arm when she "accidently" lost her balance around the turns.

As soon as we got to the beach I quickly hopped out of the Suburban and breathed in the salty ocean air.

La Push was not like the typical beaches I had been to. Most of the beaches I had gone to had been in California, crowded with people, blistering hot, icy water, laughing kids, shouting parents, beach volleyball games, surfers sprinkled throughout the waves. La Push was nothing like that.

The sun was just bright enough to make it comfortably warm. The beach was empty except for our group. The water was dark and heaving, crashing against the buffs of the islands rising up out of the water, large trees piercing into the sky from atop them. The beach itself was composed of large smooth stones that created a mirage of bluish hues, a small strip of whitish sand outlining the water's edge.

Large pieces of gnarled driftwood dotted the beach, a few having been moved into a circle surrounding an old fire pit. The cold wind whipped around me, sending strands of my brown hair flying around my face. Pelicans danced delightedly with the wind, flying high then dipping down to swoop just above the water.

We walked to the circle of driftwood and set our stuff down, some of the boys picking up pieces of driftwood to start a fire.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked.

I shook my head and he smiled. "You'll like this then- watch the colors."

Mike touched his lighter to a small piece and then used that to light the rest. The flames that burst forth were blue and green. I watched in amazement as the flames flickered back and forth, the wind making them dash around wildly.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," I said softly, surprised Mike had actually shown me something I found interesting.

After about half an hour the group decided to hike to the tide pools. I instantly agreed to go with them when Lauren said she wanted to go. Lauren had been sending my unveiled glares all day and had been whispering behind my back. If she really wanted to have a reason to be mad at me then I would sure as hell give her one.

I snickered the whole way there because Lauren was having a difficult time with the hike, falling on her ass twice within the first five minutes. When we finally reached the tide pools she was whining in her obnoxiously high-pitched voice.

_I think her voice is even more annoying than Jessica's. _

Walking a little ways from the rest of the group, I found my own little tidal pool to amuse me and crouched down to watch the little critters in it. I saw tiny little crabs darting into the dark crevices and little silver fish racing along the bottom.

After I was done watching the little world contained in the pool, I spotted Lauren leaning over a tide pool a few meters away with Tyler. I snuck up behind them quietly, making sure they didn't know I was there.

_Would this count as a heinous crime?_ I asked myself, wondering if I would be breaking my promise to Edward. Deciding that it was all in good fun, I went through with my plan.

"Ah, a snake!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I heard Lauren give out a shocked yelp, her body jumping in fright and sending her into the frigid water of the tidal pool. I couldn't contain my laughter any longer when she looked up at Tyler and me like a pissed off little kitten who had been dunked in the water against their will. Tyler chuckled with me when he saw her black eyeliner starting to run down her face.

"It's not funny!" She screamed shrilly.

_Hmmm, apparently Jessica and Lauren have different definitions of funny than me. _

I snorted in amusement. "Sure it is," I said before turning around and leaving Tyler to help her out.

Once Tyler got Lauren back on her feet we decided to head back to get Lauren a dry jacket and sit her in front of the fire so she didn't catch a cold. When we reached the beach again we saw that the few people who hadn't gone with us were now chatting with some newcomers.

Spotting the black hair and copper colored skin I figured they must have been some of the locals from the reservation. The boys from our group immediately started passing the food around as we settled down around the fire. Lauren was still grumbling about being wet and Tyler was sitting next to her, consoling her.

Eric introduced the group to the newcomers and I saw one of boys look at me with interest when Eric said my name. After a few minutes of everyone chatting happily, the boy got up and came to sit down next to me.

Normally I would have been wary of a stranger taking such quick interest in me but the guy just looked too innocent to be a threat. His copper skin was smooth and his black hair fell in long tresses, tied back with a rubber band. He had high cheekbones but his face was a little rounded, letting him retain his boyish innocence.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"

"Bella," I corrected.

He grinned happily. "I'm Jacob Black. Charlie is a good friend of my dad."

I thought back to all the weekends Charlie had gone out fishing with some friends and remembered him telling me that he was a friend with a native named Billy Black.

"You're Billy Black's son?" I asked to make sure.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah. My dad keeps telling me about how Charlie talks so animatedly about you whenever they go fishing. It seems like you guys formed a quick bond considering you just found out about each other."

"Yeah, Charlie is pretty cool," I grinned at Jacob, "for an old man."

Jacob laughed at my comment, his chuckles deep and husky. I found myself smiling in response, his good mood infectious.

"I think my dad would smack me upside the head if I ever called him that."

"Oh Charlie tries, believe me, but I just dodge him."

Our soft laughter was interrupted when Lauren saw us getting along.

"You know Bella, Jacob?"

Jacob gave me a small smile, "Not really, but our dads are good friends. I figured maybe their friendship would be passed down through the generations."

Lauren rolled her eyes at his comment and I just chuckled in humor.

"Bella," she called, bringing my attention to her. "I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her whiny voice asked in faux-concern.

"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" One of the other native boys asked. His voice was deep and he looked a few years older than the rest of us.

"Yes, do you know them?" She asked haughtily.

The boy turned to her and his expression was solemn. "The Cullens don't come here," he spoke with finality.

I tilted my head in interest, wondering why the boy had responded so seriously. It seemed like more than just an observation. It was as if he was repeating a law they all knew- the Cullens weren't _allowed_ to come here.

_Could they __**know**__ what the Cullens are?_

"So is Forks driving you insane yet?" Jacob asked, drawing my attention back to him.

"Quite possibly."

Jacob nodded in understanding and I wondered if I could somehow get him to tell me why the other boy had spoken so seriously when the Cullens had been brought up.

"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" I asked with a smile and Jacob grinned back at me. He nodded his head as he jumped up from the log. I hopped up as well and we started walking down the beach.

"So how old are you? Sixteen?" I asked, curiously. I had never been a good judge of how old people were.

"I just turned fifteen," he said, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Really? I would have thought you were older."

"I'm tall for my age," he explained and I nodded in agreement.

"What about that other guy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little older than us."

"Oh, that's Sam. He's nineteen."

I nodded thoughtfully before prodding for more information. "What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?"

"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation," he commented offhandedly.

"Why not?" I prodded further.

Jacob glanced at me and I could see worry in his eyes. "I'm actually not supposed to be telling you any of this stuff."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," I said softly, hoping he would continue.

Jacob studied me for a second before coming to a decision. I could see humor light up in his eyes and he smiled jokingly.

"Do you like scary stories?"

My eyebrows were drawn down in confusion, wondering what the hell that question had to do with his answer.

"Uh, yeah."

Jacob led us over to a piece of driftwood and took a seat, motioning for me to join him. After I settled down he turned his gaze on me.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we come from- the Quileutes I mean?"

I searched my memory for any information Charlie might have told me about them but came up blank. I shook my head no and Jacob continued.

"Well there are a lot of legends tied into our culture. One of the legends claims that we descended from wolves- and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them," Jacob smiled mockingly, hinting that he didn't believe the legends.

"Then there are the stories about the cold ones," he continued in a deep voice, trying to create a scarier atmosphere.

_Are their 'cold ones' our vampires?_

"The cold ones?" I asked softly, my intrigue peaking.

"According to legend, my great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one that made the treaty that kept them off of our land. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf- well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors," Jacob explained.

"Like werewolves?" I asked and Jacob smiled ruefully at me, like he was embarrassed about the legends.

I found everything he was saying fascinating.

"Yeah. And werewolves only have one enemy- the cold ones. This particular pack, though, came during my great-grandfather's time and supposedly didn't pose a threat to the tribe. They were more civilized than their brethren, so my great-grandfather made a truce with them: as long as they stayed off our land then we wouldn't expose them to the pale faces," Jacob said with a wink and I grinned amusedly at him.

"What do you mean by civilized?" I asked and Jacob smiled, happy that I was appreciating the story so much.

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

"The Cullens…" I said softly to myself, amazed that I had found 'evidence' that they were safe around humans and had been for quite some time.

Jacob took it as a question and clarified. "Some people think they are the same cold ones- or vampires I guess you would call them."

_I can't believe this tribe knows about vampires_, I thought in wonder.

Jacob was staring at me, waiting for a reaction to his story. I gave a nervous laugh and hoped he would take it as me being scared.

"Wow, that's intense."

"Yeah, pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone."

_No Jacob, it's not crazy. It's not crazy at all. _

"Don't worry, I won't give you away."

We got up off of the driftwood and slowly started walking back towards the rest of the group.

"I guess I just violated the treaty." Jacob let out an amused chuckle. "So do you think we are just a bunch of superstitious natives or what?"

I smiled at Jacob, "No, I think your legends are amazing." _And true._

Stopping dead in my tracks, my thoughts went haywire.

_Could…would it be possible that all of their legends are true?_ I turned my gaze to Jacob as I hurried to catch up to him. _Could this tribe really have werewolves?_

I thought back to the mocking tone in which Jacob had told me about their legends and my nerves settled. Jacob obviously didn't believe that the legends were true so there was no need to concern myself about it; surely he would have been more serious if he even remotely believed that his tribe had once been made up of werewolves.

"There you are, Bella," Mike's shout brought my attention back to the beach.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jacob asked and I shuddered at the thought.

_Why does everyone say that?_

"Hells to the no." Jacob laughed at my outright rejection of the idea.

Mike studied Jacob and me, noticing the easy friendship that had already formed.

"Where have you been?" He asked carefully.

"Jacob here was just telling me some really interesting stories about his tribe," I said with a grin and Jacob smiled back.

"Well, we're packing up- it looks like it's going to rain soon."

I nodded my head and then turned to say bye to Jacob.

"It was nice to meet you," he said.

"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I'll come too," I said with a grin. Jacob had been the only person, other than Angela, who I could easily see myself becoming friends with. He was friendly, outgoing, and had an infectious laugh.

"That would be cool," he said, a smile stretching across his face, making me smile back.

"And thanks for the stories," I told him honestly.

_This was just the information I needed to finally get Edward to admit what he is. _

I walked over to the cars where the rest of the group was waiting. I crawled into the backseat, next to the window, with Angela on the other side. Content in silence, I stared out the window at the fading beach and contemplated my next move with Edward.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **bleh, i'm sorry it took me so long to update. I was depressed about my ochem midterm results and then i just got kinda lazy.

But you can't be too mad at me because i'm not the only one that has been lazy! hundreds of you guys are reading this story, yet only like five are taking the time to review so you guys are uber lazy too :p

haha sorry, i'm not going to be one of those authors that says "i require thirty reviews or no new update" but yeah i felt like i had the right to rant a wee bit.

now i'm done so... **ON WITH THE STORY!**

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**Chapter 7**

My mind was restless that night and I tried to take solace in music. I had always found that music was a way to keep my mind anchored to reality- or a way to escape reality. In silence, my mind always wandered aimlessly and often times led me to thoughts I would prefer to remain ignorant of.

So, I put my earphones in and focused my thoughts upon the light beats and hypnotizing harmonies of _Local Natives_. The melodic voices swirled around me and eased my anxious soul.

Eventually I would have to face the thoughts I kept hidden from, but that night I tried my best to ignore them. Unfortunately, those thoughts- although easily blocked by my conscious mind- manifested themselves into disturbing dreams to plague me while I slept.

_I walked confidently down the dark alley, not in the least bit worried by the darkness licking at my heels. I was Bella Swan, vampire hunter. I had no need to be frightened of the dark because I could slay any monster that inhabited it. _

_ I had been sent to the city on a mission. There was a mature vampire and a newborn fledgling that needed to be handled. It had taken me a few hours to track them down and now I was coming upon the place they usually used as feeding grounds. Darting my eyes around I cringed in disgust at the grimy area. The alley was riddled with trash and sewer water lay in puddles on the cold concrete. _

_It was the perfect home for the monsters that lived here- both human and vampire alike. _

_ Shady characters leered at me from the shadows, questioning my right to be there. This wasn't the place for a little girl, they thought and I immediately quelled all such nonsense by shooting them a deathly glare, making them dart their eyes to the ground so as not to annoy me. _

_ A muffled scream brought my attention to the end of the alley and I hastened my pace. When I came out of the dark alley into a concrete courtyard of sorts I narrowed my eyes in anger when I saw the broken form of a hooker being clutched against the dark frame of the monster feeding from her, another shadow looking on from a few feet away. _

_ The shadow not currently sucking the life out of the poor girl's neck turned its bright crimson eyes on me. I could see its pupils dilate when it caught the scent of my blood; it was too dark for me to see the vampire's face. _

_ The newborn continued feeding from the girl and took no notice of my arrival. I started approaching them slowly and the mature vampire just watched me with amusement, uncaring that I approached its "child" with a deadly intent. _

_ I drew the long knife from the belt slung across my hips and it glinted dangerously in the waning moonlight. The mature vampire continued to watch me, its eyes daring me to proceed. _

_ My steps did not falter and I raised my arm over my head before slashing it down through the air and cleanly slicing through the pale neck of the newborn, a high-pitched keen breaking the still air for a split second before silence rushed in once again. _

_ "Now why would you do something so cruel?" A soft and dark voice asked from behind me. _

_ I whirled around to face the other vampire, the more deadly one, and sneered at it. _

_ "Because vampires are evil," I said heatedly. _

_ It opened its mouth in a mocking grin, its white teeth flashing in the dark. Its bright red eyes and white teeth were the only thing I could distinguish from the shadows to which it clung. _

_ "Are we now?" It asked amusedly as it stalked closer to me. _

_ I waited for it to take another step before launching myself forward. It took another step while I was midair that brought it into the soft glow of the moonlight. _

_ My eyes opened in shock and a surprised gasp escaped my lips. My arm was already in motion and I was hopeless to stop its killing arch. _

_ Edward stood there with his arms open, his eyes calm, in acceptance of his eminent destruction. His lips were upturned in a small smile as my knife plunged into his chest, piercing his heart. _

_ I stared numbly at the vampire before me, my hand still clutching the knife that was lodged in his chest. My body started to tremble and I felt cold. _

_ "No…." I whispered as I started to shake my head. "No….why?" I yelled at him and he just smiled down at me kindly. _

_ "Because, vampires are evil, remember?" He whispered. _

_ I shook my head in denial even though I had just spoken those words mere minutes prior. "But I didn't mean you…" I whispered brokenly, "not you." _

_ My eyes looked up to Edward's peaceful face and my heart ached painfully when I saw the amber orbs looking back into my brown ones. _

_ "Not you," I whispered again. I closed my eyes in refusal of the reality before me and when I opened them again he was starting to fade into the shadows, his form becoming near translucent. I tried to grasp wildly for him but my hand just swept through empty air. _

_ Edward smiled sadly at me before he faded into nothingness. _

_ "I didn't mean you…" I whispered softly as I fell to my knees. _

I awoke with a startled gasp, my body shivering.

"It was just a dream," I told myself. "It was just a dream and you are overreacting," I scolded myself as I settled back down onto my bed.

I pulled the blankets around me tightly and drifted off to a restless sleep, my body still shivering.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"You look like shit," Charlie commented as I walked into the kitchen the next morning.

I rolled my eyes at his comment. "Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"No problem, Kid," he quipped, ruffling my hair as he passed by me. I let out a growl of annoyance and I could hear Charlie's chuckles coming from the hallway as he put on his jacket. He yelled a goodbye as he exited the warm house and I started making my breakfast.

After I ate, I walked outside and started making my way along the small path at the side of the house. I sang lyrics in my head the while time I walked, putting off the confrontation with myself as long as possible.

Once I had walked deep enough into the forest to where only a few rays of grayish light were able to pierce through the crowded treetops, I settled myself down onto a fallen log.

I took a few meditative breaths and let myself be enveloped by the quiet forest sounds. The air was actually a bit warmer than the open air, the trees providing nice insulation against the biting wind.

I looked down at my pale hands and closed my eyes, still able to feel the ghost knife that had pierced Edward's long-dead heart resting heavily in my hand. I winced when I felt my fingernails cut through the skin of my palm from clutching my hands together so tightly.

"Why did that dream affect me so much?"

My quiet question was met by silence and I gave an aggravated sigh.

I had already accepted the fact that I didn't view Edward as just a vampire. Being a vampire in my mind meant being nothing but a bloodthirsty monster, but Edward wasn't that. He was bloodthirsty, yes, but a monster? No, he wasn't that at all.

Even before the talk I had with Charlie, I already realized that I didn't _hate_ Edward; Charlie's words had just allowed me to feel okay about it. His words had set me free from the guilt I felt about not hating the thing I had always been taught to despise.

But still….that dream had affected me more than I thought it should have.

Just because I didn't view him as a monster, it didn't mean that his death should affect me as much as it had in the dream.

Should I have felt guilty about being the one to deliver the deathly blow? I mean, had Edward deserved it?

He seemed to have deserved it in the dream. His eyes had been crimson, a sure sign that he had recently fed from a human. It would have been my job, my duty, my _purpose_, to kill him if he had harmed an innocent human.

But killing him had hurt me so much. It had felt as if by stabbing Edward's dead vampire heart, I had also pierced my very fragile human one.

And that scared me.

Why had the dream affected me so deeply? It shouldn't have. It shouldn't have hurt so much to fulfill my purpose as a vampire hunter by ridding the world of a vampire.

But it had.

And that terrified me. It scared me because it had affected me so much and I didn't know _why_.

I looked forlornly around at the empty forest, searching for answers to my worrisome questions but I came up empty. Heaving another tired sigh I got up from the log and started the journey back to the house.

It didn't much matter what the reason behind my reaction in the dream; I still had a mission to accomplish and my feelings held no relevance to it.

I was Bella Swan, a _vampire hunter_, and that's all that would ever matter.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

After I arrived back at the house I decided to finish all my schoolwork. I labored away through Trig and finished with relatively few muttered profanities. I moved onto my English paper and was ecstatic when Charlie came home because it gave me an excuse to take a break when I had to make dinner.

I finished the paper after dinner and then called Lucas. He had made it a requirement for me to check in with him every week. I could do it by email but every other week he wanted to speak with me.

I dialed Lucas's personal number and only had to wait two rings before he answered.

"Swan," his authoritative voice rang out.

"Director," I responded blandly.

"Any progress?" He asked, not bothering to waste any time.

"Yes and no."

"Explain."

"Well, you see I haven't actually gotten any of them to admit they are vampires yet," I heard Lucas give a disappointed sigh and continued quickly, "but I have recently been told a story by a native boy about the existence of cold ones," I started before relaying Jacob's story to Lucas.

"So I already did some research and found a book that talks all about the native stories. I figured that I could go get the book and then let Edward see that I'm reading it. That way, when I finally prompt him by telling him I think he is a vampire, he won't be suspicious about how I figured it out."

I waited in tense silence, waiting for Lucas to respond. I could tell that he was getting frustrated with me for taking so long on this mission and I took that as a hit to my pride that he had so little faith in me on this mission.

"Hmmm…" Lucas started. "It is quite interesting to hear that there might be a relative of the werewolves in that Native American tribe…" he mused to himself, "but your main focus is to remain the vampires. The plan you have devised is acceptable."

I sat there in shock at what Lucas had just said. "Wait….what do you mean a relative of the werewolves? Do werewolves actually exist? You know about them?" I asked in rapid succession.

Lucas sighed on the other end of the line. "Swan, I have another matter to attend to and I do not have the time to explain this to you now. Go ask Rathbone about it," he said before hanging up on me.

I darted down the staircase and hurled myself in front of the TV that Charlie was watching.

"Werewolves, the Quileutes, cold ones….explain!"

Charlie shook his head in silent laughter about my crazed rambling but shut off the TV and nodded to the seat next to him. I quickly sat down and waited anxiously for him to explain everything to me.

"First of all, how did you hear about the cold ones story?"

"Jacob Black told me yesterday when I went down to La Push," I explained and then widened my eyes in shock. "Uh, can you not mention that to Billy Black? Jacob said he would get in a lot of trouble for telling me." I would feel really guilty about getting Jacob in trouble.

Charlie just grinned in amusement. "Don't worry. It would be sort of hypocritical of Billy to punish his son when he has told me about the story himself. It actually took me a while to get the story out of him though," Charlie mused.

"It had been about a year and a half after the Cullens moved here. I had always been suspicious as to why Billy seemed to dislike them so much- since normal humans usually can't tell when there is a vampire around- and it wasn't until I got him really drunk after a fishing trip that he finally confessed to the cold ones legend."

"Okay, so then what about their other legends? Are they really werewolves? And why was Lucas acting as if werewolves are a common occurrence?"

"Well they aren't _common_, but werewolves do exist."

I looked at Charlie in shock and he laughed. "Jeez, the education of you Hunters these days is seriously lacking."

"Do you have a knife on you?" He asked and I slipped the knife that was up my long sleeve down into my hand before flipping it over and handing it to him.

He studied the knife for a second, running practiced eyes and hands over its hilt. He held the knife up and pointed to the blade.

"Look closely," he ordered. "Do you see that thin line of white?"

I leaned in closer and looked at the glinting blade. My eyes narrowed in on the white line that Charlie was pointing to.

"What is it?"

"Werewolf fang."

My jaw dropped open. "What?"

Charlie nodded his head in confirmation of what he had just revealed.

"All the Hunter weaponry has a thin piece of either werewolf fang or werewolf claw which is reinforced with an incredibly strong metallic alloy. Werewolf claw and fang is the only known substance to be able to slice through vampire skin but it is too rare a substance to be able to make a knife or bullet entirely out of it."

"How did the Organization get it?"

Charlie cringed and I wondered why he would have such a reaction. "Sadly the past of the Hunters is very ruthless. A long time ago Hunters used to kill all creatures. The Organization eventually decided to specialize in destroying vampires since they were the most threatening to humans and made allies with werewolves to kill vampires."

"Werewolves are natural enemies of vampires and they readily agreed to ally themselves with the Organization. The myths that humans have developed are actually pretty accurate in the sense that the werewolf condition is connected to the moon. Werewolves have a human form and only transform into their werewolf form during the nighttime on the week of the full moon. Since they are restricted in time when in their powerful forms, they rely on their alliance with Hunters to destroy vampires the rest of the time. In return, Hunters get werewolf claw clippings to make sure that the supply for weaponry is never depleted."

"So the Quileutes are a pack then?"

Charlie frowned in thought. "No, I don't believe so. I've never seen any signs that any of them might be werewolves, and even their legends make it seem like they are something different. Most likely they are descendants of a related species."

Charlie saw that I needed some time to process everything that I had just been told, so he left to go to his room. I sat there on the couch for ten minutes trying to wrap my mind around all the new information.

After analyzing the entire conversation again and storing the information away in my mind I was exhausted. I walked up to my room and had just enough energy to brush my teeth and change clothes before collapsing onto my bed.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I sighed when I saw that the sun was shining the next morning because that meant there would be no vampires at school today. No vampires meant no progress was to be made.

The rest of my classmates were happy because the sun rarely shone here in Forks. I had the pleasure of almost breaking Mike's hand when he tried to touch a piece of my hair, saying that he had never noticed I had natural reddish highlights. He had been shocked when my hand shot out and smacked his hand away and I just played it off by saying he had startled me.

"So what did you do this weekend?" He asked as we stood in the courtyard before class.

"Worked on my homework. I finished the English essay," I told him.

"Oh shoot, I forgot about that. It's due Thursday right?"

"Wednesday."

Mike cringed and I almost felt bad because I knew it would be hard for him to finish it on time. _Almost_ being the key word there.

"I guess I'll have to work on that tonight. I was going to ask you if you wanted to have dinner together tonight," he said in a disappointed tone.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Well, we could still go and I can work on it after," he chirped enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" He asked defensively, his arms crossing in front of him.

"Because Jessica would be really mad at me." _Not to mention the fact that I would rather shoot myself than go to dinner with you._

"Jessica?" His eyebrows were drawn down in confusion and I just rolled my eyes at him.

"You are such an idiot," I said before walking away.

My morning classes passed by pretty quickly and I was debating with myself on what the best plan of action would be when Jessica asked me if I would go with her and Angela to Port Angeles

On one hand, I would most likely want to kill Jessica or myself at some point in during the trip because my patience levels were dangerously low in comparison to the rest of the human population.

On the other hand, Angela would be going and I felt like she would probably serve as an annoyance buffer between Jessica and me.

Then again, why should I even want to subject myself to something as horrendous an activity as dress shopping?

But…I would also be getting a free ride to Port Angeles which is where the bookstore was located that had the book on the cold ones legends. I might love my baby more than anything in the world, but that monster consumed a ridiculous amount of money by going through gas so quickly.

_Damn, I'm probably going to regret this. _

"Yeah, sure, I would like to tag along," I said and Jessica let out a squeal of excitement.

When I got back to the house I decided to take advantage of the sun still shining in the sky and took a blanket outside to relax.

I lay down in the comforting warmth of the sunshine and closed my eyes in peace. Relaxing for a few minutes, I let all the tension and stress of the past month leave my body before picking up _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ and reading a few chapters.

After about thirty pages, I felt my body tensing and my senses heightening. Knowing that this was my body's natural reaction to the presence of a vampire, I scanned the backyard and surrounding forest carefully and found nothing.

I felt as if I should be wary because some unknown opponent was watching me, but I remained relatively relaxed. Before I was able to analyze why I didn't feel on edge when being watched by a vampire, Charlie got back from work and called me into the house.

I gathered up the blanket and took one last scan of the backyard before turning around and going inside. I made dinner and told Charlie that I would be going to Port Angeles with Jessica and Angela.

He seemed slightly worried that I might try to find some sort of trouble to get into simply because I wasn't used to a life of so little action, but I promised him I wouldn't seek any trouble out.

I really just wanted to get the book as fast as I could so that I would be able to confront Edward soon.

The next day was sunny as well and my classes all went by fast. I was getting more and more excited about the Port Angeles trip because I hadn't been in any sort of city for so long. The mission might have turned out more interesting than I originally thought it would be, but that didn't mean Forks was a barrel of excitement either.

I couldn't help the small smile that slipped onto my face as we drove out of Forks and towards Port Angeles, even Jessica's incessant chatter didn't dampen my spirits.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. **

**A/N: **okay so this was such a long chpt DX just to warn you, starting from this chpt and onwards i am going to start diverging a little more from the original plotline. Prior to this chpt i stuck pretty close to the same events and dialogue and changed bella's thoughts, but now i am going to start changing more of everything.

Okay, **on with the story!**

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**Chapter 8**

Jessica was kind of a scary driver. She got distracted way too easily and wouldn't pay attention to the traffic in front of her, which almost resulted in us rear-ending a huge ass truck. Angela tried to get her to focus on the road by turning down the music but when Jessica started whining we decided to just let her have her way. I figured strangling the driver probably wouldn't be the best if I wanted to survive this horrid car ride.

Luckily we arrived in Port Angeles within four hours. It definitely wasn't a huge city but compared to Forks it seemed like Los Angeles. I asked Angela and Jessica if they would mind making a quick stop at the bookstore and they said it wasn't a problem.

I darted into the store and scanned the shelves looking for the book I needed. I grinned happily when I found it and almost skipped to the counter to pay for it. The guy at the register gave me a weird look when I bounced up and down in excitement but didn't comment on it. After handing me the book in a bag I darted back out of the store and hopped into the car where Angela and Jessica were waiting for me.

I took the book out of the bag and flipped through its contents until I found the legends about the 'cold ones.'

"What book did you get?" Jessica asked as she peered at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, it's a book on Quileute legends," I replied distractedly. My eyes scanned the page before me and I found that the legend written down was very much the same to the one Jacob had told me.

"Why did you get that?"

"Um, Jacob was telling me about some of the legends when we went down to La Push and I thought they were pretty interesting so I decided to read up on some more of them."

Jessica giggled. "I think you just like Jacob and that's why you found them so interesting."

I rolled my eyes at Jessica's statement but decided not to comment on it because a denial would have made her think she was correct.

When we got to the dress store I brought the book in with me. We headed over to the junior's section and I settled into one of the chairs by the dressing room while Angela and Jessica scoured the racks.

Every once in a while Angela or Jessica would ask me for my opinion on whatever specimen she had in her hand and I would give her my honest opinion. I told Jessica that the pink dress she tried on made her boobs look like they were about to pop out. Jessica grinned happily at me and thanked me for my nice comment. I shook my head, not even wanting to try to comprehend the inner-workings of Jessica's mind.

Jessica made a comment about making sure she would help me pick out the perfect dress for prom. When I asked her why she thought I was going to prom, she said that Tyler had told everyone I had agreed to go with him.

_I am so going to hurt him. _

I went with Angela to help pick out some heels that went with the dark blue dress she picked out. She was ecstatic that she was going with Eric simply because he was tall enough so that she could wear heels. They were just going as friends though.

"So how come you aren't going to the dance?" She asked as she picked up a pair of blue heels and then set them back down.

"Honestly?"

Angela laughed. "Of course."

"Because I don't like huge social events where I am forced to pretend I am having fun when I clearly am not. Dances just don't hold any appeal to me."

Going to dance was such a normal teenage thing to do, and I was anything _but_ a normal teenager.

"What if you had a date though?"

I burst out laughing and Angela gave me a bemused look as she waited for my laughter to die down.

"Who exactly would want to go to the dance with me?"

"Oh come on Bella, we all know that at least three guys asked you- Eric, Mike, and Tyler."

"Okay fine, I'll rephrase the question. Who exactly do you think I would have the patience to actually deal with for a whole night?" Angela knew me the best and she had been most observant about my lack of patience with the rest of our usual group.

Angela paused in thought. She picked up a pair of silver heels and held them up. I nodded my head in approval and she nodded her head in agreement.

"How about Edward Cullen?" She asked as we were heading back to the dresses where Jessica was still trying some on.

I stopped dead in my tracks and gave her a weird look. "What do you mean?"

Angela smiled at me and had a knowing look in her eyes. What the fuck she thought she knew? I had no idea, but she thought she knew _something_.

"I've watched you guys when you talk. Edward has always been so withdrawn, only talking to his family. You are the only other student he has _ever_ talked to. And, I've seen the way you act when you're around him."

My eyes dropped to the floor and my heart was racing. She couldn't have figured anything out, could she? I knew she was observant but she wasn't that observant, right?

"And how do I act around him?" I asked cautiously.

"You act like Bella- the teenager. Around the rest of us, you are kind of like a bitter old woman and I'm not sure how you're life was previous to coming to Forks, but I imagine that has something to do with it. But when you are with Edward, you seem to drop your guard a little."

I chuckled nervously at Angela's comment. She couldn't have been more wrong. Edward was the one I was lying to the most. I was hiding the largest part of myself from him- from everyone- and they would never actually know _me_, because I could never tell them.

We met back up with Jessica, who was trying to decide between the pink dress from earlier and a red one. She tried them both on and asked for our opinions but kept on changing her mind.

"Hey, I'm going to go outside for a bit. I'll meet you guys at the Italian restaurant in twenty minutes okay?" Jessica and Angela nodded and I made my escape. I needed some time alone.

I walked out onto the streets of Port Angeles and took in a deep breath. The chilly night air made me shiver slightly but I enjoyed the feeling of freshness it brought over me. The cold let me clear my mind.

For some reason Angela's words caused my brain to go haywire. Edward was the one I had lied to the most but she thought that I had revealed more of my true self to him than anyone else. That didn't make sense to me. It's true that I felt relaxed around him, compared to other vampires and people in general, but I was still lying to him.

Aimlessly walking down the streets of Port Angeles, my attention was brought back to my surroundings when a guy whistled at me. The group of guys he was with started chuckling and elbowing each other when I turned to look at them.

I raised an eyebrow at them and could feel my anger starting to well up inside me as they leered at me. I decided it wasn't worth the trouble and kept walking.

I tried my hardest to just ignore them but they started following me. They started yelling out inappropriate comments at me and I clenched my hands into tight fists. Lucas would be pissed off if I hurt a civilian- I did not think they were innocents in any sense of the word- when I was supposed to be protecting them.

But they were seriously asking for it.

I could hear them getting closer and when I glanced behind me I saw that four of them were trailing after me. My eyes scanned my surroundings and I spotted an alleyway. I hastily darted down the alley but was disappointed to find that it led to an empty back parking lot.

I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun them and get around to the front of the building so I decided my best bet was to stand my ground and fight them there. I positioned myself with my back to a wall, covering one of my blind spots.

I waited for them to enter the parking lot and they slowly spread out in front of me. I cringed my nose in disgust when I saw their eyes scan my body up and down. It was all too clear what they wanted to do with me.

"Hey baby, why were you trying to get away from us?" One of them taunted as he stepped closer.

"Because you guys are disgusting assholes," I sneered at him. The creepy smirk dropped from his face and was replaced by an angry scowl.

"And here we were hoping that we could let you enjoy your time with us. But now I'll just enjoy making it hurt," he growled out.

I studied my opponents and ignored the rest of his threats. Two of them were very intoxicated and not very stable on their feet. They would be the easiest to knock down. The other two though, they would be trickier. Lucas might understand my harming civilians in self-defense, but he would _not_ tolerate me killing them. All my blows would have to be calculated to stun them or knock them unconscious but not give them lasting damage.

My attention snapped back to the guy in front when he took a step forward. I dodged his arms when he lunged towards me and delivered a swift kick to his side, sending him to the ground and gasping for air.

His friends looked shocked for a second but when the guy on the ground yelled at them to grab me they started advancing on me. I punched one of them in the gut and then spun around to kick another in the chest. The third guy grabbed onto me from behind and I kicked my legs out hoping to knock him off balance. He was stronger than I thought he would be because he remained standing and tightened his grip on me.

The leader of the group had recovered from the kick by then and grinned cruelly at me as he stalked forward. Just when he came into range I lifted my lower body up and kicked him in the head. He stumbled a few feet and slumped against the wall as he tried to shake his head free of the dizziness my kick had instilled.

I kicked my leg backwards and managed to hit the guy holding me in the shin. He yelped in shock and released his grip. I turned around and punched him as hard as I could in the jaw. I could immediately tell I had knocked him out by the way all the muscles in his body went slack as he fell to the cement.

The other two lackeys circled around me but I could tell neither one of them wanted to get too close to me. I kept spinning around, trying my best to keep them both within my line of sight. Deciding to attack before they could, I ran forward and aimed a fist at the taller one's face. He managed to side step but I sent my leg chasing after him and managed to kick the back of his knee, making his leg collapse beneath him and sending him to the ground.

The leader had once again recovered and this time he looked really pissed off. He smirked evilly as he flicked a knife out. He tried to scare me by flicking it around wildly but I just rolled my eyes at his theatrics. Unfortunately I had been giving too much of my attention to the guy in front of me and forgot about the last lackey.

He crept up behind me and punched me in the side. I let out a gasp but pushed the pain away and elbowed him in the stomach. As he was falling to the ground I gave him an uppercut to insure that he wouldn't be interfering with the rest of the fight.

I turned back to the leader and smiled.

"Guess it's just you and me," I said with a pained laugh. My side was killing me.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to show you a fun time….well, fun for me." He talked with confidence but I could see the fear shining in his eyes. I was turning out to be a lot more trouble than he anticipated.

He stalked towards me and I moved at an angle, causing him to adjust his path. When I had him lined up where I wanted him I made my move. I darted forward and landed a kick on his chest. He sliced through the air wildly with his knife but I hit his arm and cause him to loosen his grip. I hit his arm one more time and the knife went flying out of his reach.

He took a step backwards and I almost laughed when he ran into the wall behind him. Not giving him time to fight back, I punched him in the jaw and his head snapped back into the hard wall behind him. I had put just enough power in my hit to make sure his head would hurt like a bitch when he woke up but not enough to cause him any brain damage. God knows, he had few enough brain cells as it was.

I inspected the rest of the guys and two of them were on the ground groaning in pain, the third guy still knocked unconscious. I contemplated kicking the unconscious leader just for good measure but decided he wasn't worth it.

I started to walk towards the driveway that would lead back to the street but stopped when my side ached painfully. I lifted my shirt and saw a large bruise already forming there. My fingers gently prodded my side and I winced when they ran over a particularly tender rib. I didn't think it was cracked but it still hurt _a lot._

My eyes snapped up when car lights flashed across the dark alley. A car came speeding into the back parking lot and my jaw dropped open in shock when I recognized the shiny silver Volvo.

_What….How…_ My thoughts were scattered and confused.

The Volvo came to a screeching halt a few feet away from me and the door was opened to reveal a very pissed off Edward.

His eyes darted around and I could see the confusion creeping over his features as he took in the scene- one relatively uninjured Bella and four fucked up assholes.

Edward approached me slowly and he held his hands out in front of him. "Bella? You're safe now. You don't have to be frightened of me," he spoke softly.

I took in his concerned expression and felt a little bad when I started bursting out laughing. My laughter died quickly when a sharp pain shot through my side and I gasped for air. I schooled my featured quickly so that Edward wouldn't see the pain I was in.

"I know its safe Edward. I'm the one that kicked their asses." I pointed to the idiots behind me as one of them let out a loud groan.

I walked towards Edward who looked confused. "Can you give me a ride?"

Edward nodded his head and went around to the side to open the door for me. I almost laughed again but then remembered my tender ribs.

Edward got into the car and reversed the car smoothly before getting out onto a main street. He kept shooting furtive glances at me.

"What happened? Why did you fight with them?"

"Well they wanted to have some _fun_ and I didn't want to."

Edward gave me another confused look. "Fun?"

I heaved a sigh. "Yeah, you know 'fun.'" Edward's eyebrows were scrunched down in confusion and I just shook my head at his obliviousness. "They were going to assault me. You know, sexually," I elaborated and was shocked when Edward let out a low growl.

"They were going to assault you?" He asked in a dark voice. I nodded my head and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. I wondered if maybe he would leave indents where his fingers gripped it brutally.

"Are you okay?" I asked when he remained silent for a while.

"I need you to distract me," he said, his voice still cold and dark.

"Why?"

Edward's jaw clenched and a tendon in his neck was straining under his pale skin. "Because, I don't think you injured them nearly as much as you should have. I want to kill them for what they planned on doing."

I let out a small chuckle and cringed slightly when my side ached.

_I need to stop doing that. _

"It's fine. I gave them what they deserved and I didn't get hurt." _At least, not seriously. _

"How can you just be so easy going about this?" He asked, his tone clipped and his anger barely restrained. "They were going to _rape_ you, Bella."

I cringed when he said rape but knew that I was never really in any danger. If there had been more guys then maybe I would have been a little frightened, but I could easily handle four idiots, two of which were drunk.

"Yeah but they didn't. I fought them and kicked their asses."

Edward fumed silently for a few more seconds before speaking up again. "How did you do that by the way? Those guys were pretty big." I could see he was starting to get a handle on his temper and his curiosity was flaring.

"I've been taking martial arts since I was really young. They weren't a threat to me. Even the guy with the knife was easy to take down."

Edward's head snapped towards me and I could see the anger rising again. "One of them had a knife?"

"Yes?" I answered with a confused expression. I didn't understand why he was getting so upset.

Edward took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. Eventually he pulled the car to a stop in front if the Italian restaurant I was supposed meet Angela and Jessica at.

"How did you…" I trailed off when the driver's side door slammed shut. Edward walked briskly to my side and opened the door for me.

I climbed out of the car and studied Edward. He was avoiding my gaze and I could see that he was still mad. His body was tense and it had me on edge. No matter how much I trusted Edward to not harm innocents, my instincts told me he wasn't safe to be around so many people.

"Hey."

My eyes flickered towards the restaurant and I saw Angela and Jessica walking towards us. Jessica's eyes narrowed in interest when she saw Edward standing next to me.

"Sorry I'm late. I got lost and ran into Edward," I lied.

I looked at Angela and saw a slight smirk on her face.

"Oh that's okay," Angela said, amusement shining in her eyes.

"Sorry Bella but we already ate," Jessica said. "It's just that you were taking so long and…"

I waved her off. "No worries, I'm not that hungry anyways."

"I think you should eat something." I looked up at Edward and saw he had finally seemed to get his temper under control.

He turned to Jessica and Angela and smiled. "Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you don't have to wait while she eats."

Jessica seemed a little dazed when she answered. "Um, yeah…sure. That would be okay."

I was a little upset that Edward was making decisions for me but I would take any chance I could to speak with him alone.

"Here." Angela handed me my book and I thanked her. Edward peered curiously at the book cover and I saw him tense slightly when he read the title.

"Well…I guess we'll see you at school then," Jessica said with a smile as she backed away. I could see the excitement flaring in her eyes. She had just been given the best piece of gossip Forks would ever hear.

_God, school is going to be so annoying now. Well, more annoying than usual. _

Edward ushered me towards the restaurant and I let out a sigh when we stepped into the warm building. Edward remained silent and brooding and I had a feeling that this conversation wasn't going to be all shits and giggles.

"Welcome to Giovanni's. How may I help you?" The hostess greeted in a bored tone as she flipped through a magazine in front of her.

"A table for two, please," Edward said in a soft voice. The girl's head immediately snapped upwards and her eyes widened when she saw us- well, when she saw Edward. A slight blush spread over her cheeks and she gave him a bright smile. Her eyes continued to run up and down his body and I had to stop myself from laughing at how obvious she was being.

"Oh, of course. Right this way." She led us to a table and frowned when Edward shook his head.

"Do you think we could have a more private table?" The hostess looked shocked by the request, probably never having dealt with a customer who rejected a table before, but led us to a less crowded corner of the restaurant.

"Is this okay?"

Edward smiled at her and nodded his head. "Yes, thank you."

The girl blushed again when Edward smiled at her. "No problem. Your waitress will be over in a minute." She walked backwards so that she could keep Edward in her sight and ended up running into a chair. She giggled nervously before darting away.

As soon as she left I shook my head in silent laughter.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked with an amused smile.

"The hostess. She looked like she was going to have a heart attack when you smiled at her."

Edward glanced towards where the waitress was and caught her looking at him. She ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on Cullen." I leaned forward and whispered in a conspiring manner, "you tend to dazzle the female population."

Edward gave me a crooked grin and leaned forward slightly as well. "And do I dazzle _you_?"

I studied his face and although I would be lying to say he wasn't gorgeous, I had more control over my hormones than most teenagers. It wouldn't really be safe for me to go ogling beautiful vampires when my job was to kill them.

"Nope," I said with a smirk.

"Maybe I'll have to try harder then," he said as he leaned back. I shrugged my shoulders. He could try all he wanted.

Another girl walked up to our table and I could see her appraising Edward. She twirled a piece of her black hair around her finger and stood close to Edward.

"Hello," she said in what I assumed was supposed to be a seductive voice. "My name is Amber. Can I get you a drink?" She asked as she stared intensely at Edward.

Edward looked at me and I could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to keep the smile of his face.

"I'll have a Coke," I said and Amber didn't even glance in my direction.

"Two Cokes then." Edward ignored her as she nodded her head and excused herself to get our drinks.

I shifted in my seat and winced slightly when I jostled my side too much. Edward saw the wince and I could see concern in his eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to ask me what was wrong, our waitress came back.

"Here you go." She set the Cokes down and angled her body towards Edward once again. "Are you ready to order?"

I flickered my eyes over the menu briefly. "I'll have the mushroom ravioli."

"And you?"

Edward's eyes were still focused on me. "Nothing for me, thanks," he said as a clear dismissal.

I ignored Edward's intense gaze and took a sip of my Coke. A shiver went down my spine when the freezing liquid went down my throat.

"Are you cold?"

My eyes locked with Edward's and I shook my head. "No, it's just the Coke."

"Don't you have a jacket?"

I thought back to when I had last seen my jacket and frowned. "I left it in Jessica's car."

Edward shrugged out of the beige leather jacket he was wearing and handed it to me.

"Here." He noticed my hesitance and sighed. "Please, take it."

I took the jacket from him and slipped it on. I'm not sure why he thought is would help since it was freezing cold. It didn't have any of the heat from body warmth it would if he were human.

I wrapped it tightly around me so that my body could heat it up faster. I took a breath and was intoxicated by the sweet scent wafting off the jacket. Realizing I was falling prey to the seductive smell of a vampire, I shook my head so I could think more clearly.

"That color blue looks lovely on you," Edward said softly and my attention was brought back to him.

I gave him an amused grin and pushed the sleeves of his jacket up so I could use my hands. "You're going to have to try harder than that." I grabbed a breadstick from the basket and took a small bite.

Edward grinned at my comment. "I can do much better than that, I assure you."

The waitress came back over with a plate of delicious looking food. My mouth watered when she set it down in front of me.

"Did you change your mind?" She simpered as she stepped closer to Edward. "Isn't there _anything_ I can get for you?" I nearly choked on the sip I had been taking when she said that.

"No thank you," Edward waved her off. She gave a small pout but left us alone.

"Ew, what the hell was she thinking?" I said in an exasperated voice. I knew girls could be obvious, but seriously?

"Believe me, you don't want to know," Edward said wryly.

I paused and narrowed my eyes in interest. The way he said that made it seem like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

As a vampire hunter, I had been exposed to some 'gifted' vampires. It honestly terrified me to see what extra abilities some of them had. It wasn't as if they needed the extra help, they were nearly perfect killing machines as it was.

I gulped nervously when I realized the possibility of Edward having an extra gift.

"So…" I trailed off. I made sure that Edward's full attention was on me before continuing. "I have a new theory." Edward's eyes immediately narrowed and his jaw clenched.

"I hope you were more creative this time….or are you still stealing from comic books?" His tone was light but I could see that his body was strained and tense.

"No, not comic books. But I did have some help with this new theory." I glanced to where my book was laying and I saw Edward's eyes flicker towards it too. "I'll tell you about my theory in the car, but first I have a few questions."

Edward remained silent but nodded his head slightly for me to continue.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

Edward's eyes dropped to the table and could see him thinking through his answer. After a few seconds he raised his eyes to mine. "Next."

I frowned in annoyance when he dodged the question but decided to move forward. The next question would be more important anyways. It would either mean I continued with the mission, or I killed Edward tonight and the mission failed.

"Okay then….let's say, hypothetically, that someone could know what people are thinking, read minds."

"With _one_ exception," he interjected, "hypothetically."

The tension in my body decreased slightly at his comment but I still couldn't be sure that he was telling the truth. If he could read my mind and knew that I was a vampire hunter then that meant he was playing with me for some reason. Playing a game with a vampire was never a good idea. I needed to _know_ that he didn't know about my true identity.

"How does that work? What are the limitations? How would that…someone know where to find someone else?"

"Hypothetically?" Edward prompted and I nodded my head.

Edward seemed hesitant and I knew I would have to push him a little.

"You can trust me, you know." Edward's eyes locked with mine and I felt guilt rush through me. I was lying- he shouldn't trust me.

"I don't know if I have a choice anymore," he said softly. "I was wrong- you're much more observant than I gave you credit for."

"I thought you were always right," I said lightly, trying to brush off some of the somber atmosphere that had settled around us.

"I used to be. I was wrong about you on one other thing as well. You're not a magnet for accidents- that's not a broad enough classification. You are a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you."

I quelled the smile at his comment. He had no idea that my life revolved around seeking out that trouble.

"And you put yourself into the category?"

Edward's eyes pierced into mine. "Unequivocally."

We remained silent for a second before I spoke. "But you saved my life before."

"Yes and it seems that keeping you alive is going to be more tricky than I originally thought. I followed you here to Port Angeles with every intention of keeping you safe and you somehow still managed to find trouble."

I frowned at his comment. "I was fully capable of keeping myself safe."

Edward's features softened and he gave me a small smile. "Yes, it seems I underestimated you in more than one area."

My mouth smiled in an involuntary response.

"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van? Maybe it isn't your job to save me. You interfered with fate once already."

Edward shook his head and frowned. "Your number was up the first time I met you."

A black, deathly glare flashed before my eyes and I cringed at the memory. His reaction to the scent of my blood had been the most intense I had ever seen.

"You remember?"

"Yes."

Edward flung his arms out and gave me a look of disbelief. "And yet, here you sit."

I nodded my head firmly. "Yes, here I sit, because of you. Because I trust you."

Edward shook his head. "You shouldn't."

_No, it's you who shouldn't trust me._

We sat in tense silence for a few seconds. Each of us trapped in our own thoughts. After a few more seconds I got a handle on myself and proceeded with my mission.

"How did you find me?"

Edward stared at me intently and I met his gaze. After a few more seconds he seemed to have come to a decision.

"You eat, I'll talk," he said as he motioned towards my full plate.

I was not about to argue with him since I was starving. I speared a ravioli and savored its goodness as I chewed slowly.

"I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully- like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles- and at first I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Once I did realize, I listened to Jessica's thoughts and heard that you had decided to step out to get some air. You had mentioned that you would meet them here so I parked across the street and waited. When you still hadn't showed up fifteen minutes after you were supposed to I got worried and went looking for you."

I listened carefully to everything Edward was saying, cataloging every detail.

"I started driving around listening to random people on the street to see if they had seen you. I got a tip off of one lady who had seen you and thought you looked distracted. I drove in the direction she had last seen you go and that's when I picked up on those guys' thoughts. I saw you through their eyes. They were a jumble of emotions- fear, anger, frustration, pain. Then when I drove up I saw you and you looked alright but you also looked a little wild. Your eyes were fierce and your body was on edge and ready for a fight."

Edward paused in his explanation and I could see anger starting to simmer in his eyes again. "And then when you told me what they had planned on doing to you I just…." he clenched his jaw and his hands curled into fists. "I had a very hard time stopping myself from turning around and finishing them off."

He raised his arm onto the table and rested his head on his hand, shielding his eyes from me. His voice seemed pained when he continued. "I could have let you go with Angela and Jessica, but I was afraid if you left me alone, I would go looking for them."

At almost every turn he surprised me. He tried everything within his power to make sure he didn't turn into a ruthless monster….and I respected him greatly for that.

Edward sat there, hunched over, his head in his hand as if he were ashamed of what he had admitted. I wanted to comfort him somehow, to let him know that he was the furthest thing from the monster he seemed to think he was.

He raised his amber eyes to meet my brown ones and I could see the questioning look in his eyes. I met his gaze to let him know I didn't judge him for what he said.

After a few seconds he sat up straighter. "Are you ready to go home?"

I nodded my head, "I'm ready to leave." I knew that tonight would be my best shot at getting him to admit he was a vampire. We had already made so much progress tonight and I wanted to keep pushing forward.

Edward waved the waitress over and she basically sprinted towards him.

"We're ready for the check, please." Edward's voice was stern.

Her shoulders slumped and she looked disappointed. "Sure. Here you go."

Edward took the bill from her and slipped the bill already in his hand into it. He handed it back to her and gave her a smile. "No change."

She gave him a flirty smile, "you have a nice evening." Edward thanked her but didn't even glance in her direction.

Edward walked behind me closely as we exited the restaurant. He opened the door for me when we got to his car and I just smiled in amusement at his chivalrous act.

I watched in envy as he gracefully walked around the front of the car to get to the driver's side. No matter how much I trained, I would never be able to match the elegant movements of a vampire.

Edward pulled out into traffic without checking to make sure it was clear and sped towards the freeway.

"Now, it's your turn."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_(Bella)_

"Now it's your turn."

I glanced at Edward who was watching me out of the corner of his eye and gave him a smirk. "I wasn't done with my own questioning. Besides, can't you just pluck any information you want to know out of my brain?"

Edward frowned. "It doesn't work that way. My ability is to read conscience thoughts of a person. I would still have to ask you the question to get you to think of the answer. But, as I stated beforehand, you seem to be my one exception."

Having Edward confirm that let any remaining tension seep out of my body. I glanced to Edward and saw him watching me curiously.

"So there's something wrong with me?" I joked with a grin.

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Tell a girl you can read minds and she starts questioning her own normalcy when you say you can't read hers."

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. I could definitely see the irony. "Touché."

It wasn't completely uncommon for vampires to have extra abilities. Usually they were so minimal that they didn't make much of a difference but _sometimes_ those extra gifts could be of tremendous power. It all depended upon the individual vampire.

"So what's the range for your special gift?"

Edward sighed and let his head drop back against the headrest. "You are never going to let me ask my own questions."

I grinned widely at him, "Answer the question and I'll let you ask your own."

"I'm holding you to that."

I nodded my head and then prodded him. "So?"

"It depends on how well I know the person. It's relatively easy for me to pick up on the thoughts of my family because I know them so well but I would need to be relatively close to someone if I have never heard their thoughts before."

I saw Edward studying me again and knew he was expecting some sort of reaction.

"What? No follow up questions to that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I promised that you could ask your own question if you answered."

"Good to know you are honest and keep your word." I was barely able to keep the cringe at his words from showing on my face but my chest did clutch in guilt.

"What's your new theory?"

I glanced down at the book resting in my lap and glided my fingers over the cover. When I looked back at Edward he was staring at the book with a guarded expression. His eyes glanced to mine and I could see a tinge of fear and worry in them.

"I didn't steal the theory from a comic book again, but it isn't entirely my own theory either."

Edward's jaw clenched for a second and his fingers flexed around the steering wheel. "And the theory is in that book," he inclined his head towards my lap.

I nodded my head and flipped open the book. "Do you remember when I went down to La Push?" I saw Edward nod his head tersely out of the corner of my eye and I continued. "Well I met this boy named Jacob. He's a Quileute and he told me about this legend his tribe has."

I stopped flipping through the book when I found the Cold Ones legend. Edward's eyes scanned the page and his already tense body became even more stiff. "He told me about the Cold Ones."

"Just for fun?" Edward's voice was deep and terse.

I shook my head and elaborated. "Lauren made a comment about you not joining us and one of the other native boys said you weren't _allowed_ there. Later, I asked Jacob about it and he told me about the Cold Ones and how his tribe believes you and your family are the same Cold Ones they made a treaty with decades ago. He said you were…vampires."

The car was silent after I finished speaking and I sat still, waiting for Edward's reaction. This would be the deciding factor; his reaction would determine the outcome of my mission. He would either let me in or shut me out.

"And you just believed him?"

I thought carefully about my response and hoped I would choose the right thing to say.

"I listened to what he said and made my own conclusions."

"What conclusions did you come to?" Edward's voice was snappish, his patience wearing thin. This conversation was making him anxious.

"I concluded that his explanation is plausible but that it doesn't matter." I swallowed thickly as the lie flew from my lips.

It mattered.

I needed what Jacob told me and Charlie believed to be true. I needed Edward to tell me he didn't hunt humans. I needed to hear it.

"It doesn't _matter_?" His voice was angry and he looked incredulous.

"Well obviously it would be nice to know if it was true, _but_…"

"There shouldn't be a but, Bella. It _should_ matter that I'm not human. It should matter that I'm a _monster_." Edward's voice, which had started off angry, ended with self-loathing.

"You are not a monster," I snapped and my eyes widened slightly when I recognized the vehemence with which I spoke. I was surprised by my own reaction to him saying he thought himself a monster.

I knew _true_ monsters. I had killed true monsters and Edward was not one of those monsters.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Edward snapped back and directed a pointed glare at me.

I let the silence envelop us for a minute in order to give us time to get a better handle on ourselves. Edward was still seething in anger and self-hatred but his body wasn't as tightly wound when I spoke again.

"Jacob said that your family didn't hunt humans."

Edward gave a defeated sigh and his body sunk into the leather seat of the car. "I don't _want_ to be a monster, Bella. My family and I hunt animals…but you have to understand that we are still very dangerous."

Relief washed through me when he said those words and my lips twitched in amusement. I knew better than most just how dangerous vampires truly were but I was also one of the most capable humans in handling a vampire.

"I didn't say I thought you were a kitten, Edward." His lips lifted in an amused smile for a brief second. "Being a vampire means you are capable of being deadly, I'm sure. But I also believe that you will do everything in your power to make sure you don't become a danger to people."

"You have too much faith in me."

I looked at Edward and locked eyes with him. "You don't have enough faith in yourself. You're controlling yourself right now, aren't you? You are in control and you aren't a threat to me." Here he was, a vampire, in close proximity, and I felt no need to be concerned with him hurting me.

I trusted him.

Edward's face became pained. "You have no idea how difficult it is for me to be alone with you."

I held his gaze. "I know it can't be easy. I remember your reaction to me that first day." Edward winced slightly but his eyes remained staring into mine. "It's because of my blood, right?"

Edward gave a slight nod and I could see he was starting to get anxious again. I decided to let the topic drop for now. We continued to stare at each other for a few brief seconds before my eyes flickered to the road.

I gave Edward a tiny smile, "I know being a vampire must mean you have some wicked awesome abilities, but I'd prefer it if you glanced at the road every once in a while. It would put my little human mind at ease."

Edward smirked but returned his gaze to the road. "I'm fairly certain that you can handle just about anything. Nothing seems to faze you."

The silence that came over us was far less strained and we were content to sift through our own thoughts. Ten minutes later Edward pulled into the driveway and we continued to sit there in the darkened car.

"Can I ask you some other questions?"

Edward chuckled and twisted in his seat to lean back against the door. His amber eyes stared at me and I moved to mirror his position. Once I was settled in, I thought about what I wanted to ask. Tonight had been a big accomplishment and I didn't want to push him too far too fast.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered seriously.

"Ha ha, you are hilarious," my voice dripped with sarcasm. "How long have you been seventeen?"

Edward smiled laughingly. "A while."

I thought through some of the stupid myths normal humans came up with concerning vampires and started firing them at him.

"Let's see, ridiculous myth numero uno: sleeping in coffins?"

"How do you know if it's a myth?"

I laughed but conceded the point. "Fine, do you sleep in a coffin?"

"No, that's utterly absurd. I can't believe you think I sleep in a coffin," Edward poked fun at me. He hesitated before continuing in a soft voice, "I can't sleep at all."

I was surprised when Edward admitted that. That wasn't something Hunters knew. We had hypothesized that they didn't sleep, but we had never been able to prove it. Now, I had confirmation.

"At all?"

Edward shook his head no.

"Garlic?"

"I can't eat normal food because my body can't digest it and it tastes disgusting, but it wouldn't kill me if I ate garlic. It would just make me sick."

"Turning into a bat?"

Edward let out a loud laugh and shook his head. "Most definitely not."

"Hmmm, sun?"

Edward's chuckles quieted and he looked contemplative. "I can't go out into sunlight, but not because it would harm me. It has a different effect." He looked into my eyes again and I could see him struggling to come with a decision. After a few seconds he appeared to have made up his mind. "I'll have to show you some time."

I grinned, _he trusts me._

My smile faltered and my eyes dropped to my hands resting in my lap.

_But he shouldn't. _

I glanced back up at Edward and found him studying me with a slight frown on his face. His eyes were filled with worry and I knew my reaction probably frightened him. I gave him a small smile and saw his body relax slightly.

"So how does the whole animal diet thing work?"

"I can't be sure, of course, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke." Edward grinned and I smiled in response. It was a very clever comparison. "It doesn't completely satiate the hunger- or rather thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist. Most of the time." His eyes grew somber and his hands clenched tightly. "Sometimes it's more difficult than others."

"But you're still in control."

Edward nodded slightly. "I always make sure I have fed recently if I plan on being around you," his voice was soft, as if he were ashamed of the admission.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the car widow. He was so different than anything I expected. When I had accepted this mission I never could have imagined meeting someone like Edward. Edward, a vampire, was steadily breaking through every wall I had built up and brushing away every prejudice I had.

_You're so much better than you think you are._

"I'm sorry."

I opened my eyes and looked at Edward who had a shocked expression on his face. "You're sorry? What could possibly have to be sorry for?"

I could feel waves of guilt crashing over me and the longer I stared into his amber orbs the more I felt myself drowning in them. He didn't deserve to be lied to like this. He didn't deserve to have his trust betrayed like I was surly doing, simply because it was my mission.

Edward was still waiting for an answer so I just shrugged my shoulders and gave him a weak smile. "For tempting you so much?"

Edward shook his head and grinned. "That is not something you should feel the need to apologize for."

I heaved a sigh and could feel weariness seeping into every bone in my body. It had been a long night and the emotional rollercoaster I was on was draining me of energy. Glancing towards the house, I could see the living room light on and knew I would definitely be seeking Charlie's opinion on a few things.

"I guess I should get going," I said softly and Edward nodded his head in understanding. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Edward smiled, "I do have a paper due tomorrow as well. I'll save you a seat at lunch."

I gathered up my purse and book in my arms and turned to get out of the car. Just as my fingers grazed the door handle I felt Edward lean in close behind me.

"Bella?" He whispered softly in my ear.

I turned my body to face him and his face was very close. His warm amber eyes pierced into mine and they seemed to glow in the muted darkness. His cool breath fanned across my face and my thoughts slowed when I inhaled his sweet scent.

"Yeah?" I asked and could only barely register how weak my voice sounded.

Edward's lips lifted in a smirk and his eyes lit with a tad bit of smugness. "Do I still need to try a little harder?"

It took me a second to register what he was talking about but then I remembered how I had challenged him to trying to dazzle me at dinner.

I pulled away slightly and knew there was no way I could deny he had just dazzled me. "Nope, I think that was the perfect amount of effort," I said, my voice still a little breathy. Edward let out a deep chuckle and pulled away.

Getting out of the car, I gave Edward a small wave goodbye and then walked into the house. I didn't hear the soft revving of his engine until I reached the door.

I walked into the living room and sat down heavily on the couch next to Charlie. He turned his head towards me and studied me for a second.

"Nice jacket."

I looked down and saw that I was still wearing Edward's jacket. My fingers plucked at a small string on the sleeve as I tried to collect my thoughts.

Charlie was the most suitable person for dealing with me. He was quiet and knew when to leave a person to their thoughts. He usually reserved his opinion to himself unless I asked for his advice.

"I got Edward to admit that he was a vampire."

Charlie studied my face carefully. "You aren't as thrilled about that as I thought you would be."

I nodded my head slightly and pulled harder on the string. "I don't like feeling this way."

"What way?"

I turned my eyes to Charlie and I saw concern flood into his eyes when he saw the pain I was feeling.

"Guilty."

Charlie stayed quiet for a minute and I appreciated the fact that he was taking the time to think through what he wanted to say. I didn't want false reassurances that I was doing my mission. I wanted his honest opinion.

"You're in a tough place, kid. As a fellow Hunter, I think you are doing what is required of you to accomplish your mission. As a friend, I believe you need to think carefully on what Edward's friendship means to you and whether or not you are willing to continue lying to him. I can't tell you what means more to you- your life as a Hunter or your life as Bella. That is a decision you need to come to by yourself."

Charlie picked up the remote and turned off the tv before getting to his feet. "Life's not easy, kid. We just have to do our best with the cards we're dealt," Charlie said before leaving me alone.

Left in silence, thoughts swirled around my mind in a hectic mess that made my head throb. I was a Hunter. I always had been and I always would be. But…now I was also a friend. That was something new to me. I had never had anyone put their trust in me, save for the directors who trusted me to do my job. No one had ever cared about _me_; they cared about what I could _do_, which was kill vampires. Agreeing to come to Forks had seemed a mere annoyance at the time, but now I was realizing that it had been the most life-altering decision I had ever made.

I spent an hour trying to sift through my thoughts and feelings and come to a decision. Sadly, I wasn't making much progress. But there were a few things I had settled.

There were three things of which I was absolutely positive:

One, Edward was an annoyingly kind vampire who could brush away all my prejudices with a simple wave of his hand.

Two, there was a part of me- I didn't know how dominant that part might be- that seriously wanted to stake the sucker. _ I mean, he knew how to push my buttons. _

Three, I was irrevocably attached to him, whether I wanted to be or not.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_(Edward)_

"Good night?" The smile on my face dropped as soon as Rosalie's voice snapped through the peace of the house. She hadn't even allowed me to take more than a step into the living room before she attacked me.

A small sigh escaped my lips and I wondered if it would be best to just ignore her.

_You are such a selfish brat!_ She screamed at me in her head.

Guess ignoring her wouldn't be a possibility. I turned to face her and Jasper who was sitting on the couch. It seemed that he wanted to share his opinion too, but at least he wasn't attacking me out of anger, he was just concerned.

Rosalie's eyes flashed to Jasper. "Stop manipulating me! I have every right to be mad at him. He is ruining _everything_!"

Jasper looked to me and I shook my head slightly. I could handle Rosalie on my own. Rosalie's body tensed as her anger overwhelmed her again.

She stalked towards me and her eyes were burning with rage. "I can't believe you are putting our family in danger like this! Carlisle and Esme think you're the perfect child, yet all you really are is a selfish brat who thinks about himself and no one else. We are a family, Edward! You have no right to put us in danger like this."

I listened to her tirade with patience and let her take her anger out on me. I'm sure that if she were still human, her face would have been flushed red and her chest would be heaving as she shook with anger. Once she was finished I looked at her calmly.

"I realize that you are upset, but I will not apologize for anything I have done. It is my choice to spend time with Bella…"

"A stupid, idiotic, selfish choice!" She seethed.

"...and I would appreciate it if you got a better handle on your temper, if not for my sake, then for Jasper's. I am sure he doesn't enjoy having to deal with your volatile moods." Rosalie's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched in frustration.

She turned on her heals and stalked out of the room.

_I hope you know what you are doing, Edward. Because if this starts to go wrong, rest assured, I will take things into my own hands and fix your mistake. _

A low growl escaped my throat when images of Bella laying lifeless on the cold concrete of the school parking lot flashed through Rosalie's mind.

_You never should have saved her. _

I shut Rosalie's thoughts out of my mind and turned to face Jasper. He was studying me carefully and I could hear hundreds of scenarios buzzing around in his mind about how we would need to respond depending on how things played out with Bella and me. He would always have a military mindset.

I took a seat on the couch next to Jasper and let him gather his thoughts. I could tell he was concerned about my relationship with Bella and how it could affect the family.

_I'm worried about you. _

"Me? Or the family?" I knew my voice had a tinge of bitterness in it, but I was getting really frustrated with how my family was reacting to my relationship with Bella.

Carlisle and Esme were happy that I had finally found someone that I connected so well with. Alice was excited about gaining a new sister. I explained to her time and time again that while I might have romantic feelings for Bella, she didn't necessarily reciprocate. Alice would always just give me a knowing smile and would block me from reading her thoughts by reciting _The Odyssey_.

Emmet was indifferent to the whole thing and only got upset when Rosalie took out her anger on him. Rosalie was pissed off….an understatement if there ever was one. And Jasper was always analyzing every little detail with a cold calculative thought process.

"You," Jasper hesitated. "Just…be careful."

I turned to look at Jasper critically when his thoughts on Bella took on a frightened edge.

"You're scared of her? She's human, what could she possibly have done to make you scared of her?"

Jasper frowned slightly. "I've just noticed some things about her that make me suspicious of her."

"Like what?"

Jasper's thoughts turned calculating. "The way she moves. Her movements are much more smooth and self-assured than other humans. The way her eyes take in every detail of a room when she enters it, as if she is looking for possible threats. The way she feels…"

"Feels?"

Jasper nodded his head slightly and turned to look at me. "Sometimes I feel these intense waves of guilt rolling off of her, most of the time, when she is interacting with you." Jasper stood and turned to leave. "Just be careful; I don't trust her."

I frowned as I watched Jasper leave and felt a bubble of worry form in my mind as I registered what he had said. Bella's smiling face flashed in my mind and I pushed the niggling paranoia away.

I trusted Bella.

_We will support all your decisions, Edward, _Carlisle's voice spoke in my mind and I felt relief at his words knowing that Esme and Carlisle weren't disappointed with my choices.

I would _not_ regret getting closer to Bella.

* * *

**A/N: **wow, i epically fail. There really is no excuse for why it took me so long to update, i was just lazy. Finals week is next week- which is going to suck- but after that i have winter break, so i should have a lot more time for writing coming up.

Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: SM owns all. **

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* * *

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**Chapter 10**

_(Bella)_

The next morning I felt more at ease than the night before. It seemed that a good night's rest had allowed me to reach some sort of peaceful state of mind. Last night had been overwhelming and I was glad that I had finally processed everything I had learned.

I decided that I couldn't really come to a decision about which side of me was more important, and for right now I would just let things play out as they so pleased.

Guilt always surged when I thought about how I was lying to Edward, but it wasn't as if I was really hurting him. At least…that's what I kept on telling myself.

As I was eating my bowl of cereal, I glanced outside the kitchen window and saw that it was ridiculously foggy outside. I couldn't even see two feet outside the window. All that greeted my eyes was a thick sheet of ethereal grey.

After I finished my breakfast I ran upstairs to grab my backpack. I darted into the living room when I got back downstairs and threw on Edward's jacket. There was no chance in hell that I was going to freeze my little bum off. Plus, It wasn't as if Edward needed it.

I stepped outside and slowly made my way down the driveway. My heart rate spiked for a second when I realized there was a vampire in the immediate vicinity. My eyes darted around looking for Edward and I grinned when I took another step forward and saw him holding the door to his Volvo open for me.

"Your chariot awaits, Miss Swan," he said with a slight tilt of his head.

I rolled my eyes at his antics and slid into the car. I laughed when Edward used his vampire speed to zip around to his side of the car and jump into the driver's seat. It was so interesting to see the true abilities of a vampire when used in a playful manner instead of a deadly one.

"That jacket looks wonderful on you."

I snuggled into the jacket more and smiled at Edward. "I do love it so very much. I might just have to steal it from you."

"It's not stealing if I give it to you willingly. How could I possibly take the jacket away from you? You might freeze to death."

"I'm not quite that delicate."

Edward turned his amber gaze on me and his face looked solemn. "Compared to me, you are."

It hurt my pride a little to be viewed as so weak when I most definitely was not, but I just nodded my head in agreement anyways. We drove in silence for a bit and I could see Edward was getting anxious. His eyes kept darting to me when he thought I wouldn't notice.

"Is something wrong Edward?" I asked after a bit of seeing him get more wound-up.

"I was just wondering when your whole twenty questions was going to start," he said with a restrained smile, as if waiting for me to start my interrogation.

"Rest easy Cullen, I won't hound you…right now," I smirked at him. "I can see how anxious my questions make you."

Edward turned his gaze to me. "It's not your questions that make me anxious, Bella. It's your reactions."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, "What about my reactions?"

"Well to be precise, it's your _lack_ of reaction. You take everything I tell you far too calmly…" Edward's voice trailed off and his expression closed off, his mind wandering elsewhere.

"And that's a bad thing?" Edward's eyes darted to me again as I startled him from his thoughts.

"It makes you difficult to read."

My eyes drifted to the window, trying to avoid Edward's gaze. "I tell you most of what I'm thinking anyways."

"So you admit that you edit your thoughts," Edward's voice insisted.

"You wouldn't want to hear what I edit anyways," I said softly, so as to keep the guilt and pain undetectable. It was somewhat true. He wouldn't want to know that I was a Hunter and I didn't want to tell him because it would mean the end of this.

Silence settled in around us and when I chanced a glance at Edward, his face was stern and his eyebrows drawn down in concern. I wanted to ease his worry and just tell him the truth. My mouth opened but the words wouldn't come. I was too scared to ruin my first emotional bond with someone.

_Edward is my first true friend. _

"So where's the rest of the Cullen clan?" I asked, trying to break the tension that had seeped into the air around us. Edward maneuvered the Volvo into a spot and turned the car off.

"They took Rosalie's car," Edward said distractedly as he raised a hand to point to the red convertible parked a few cars down. "Ostentatious, isn't it?"

I ran my eyes over the sleek planes of the car and wondered what kind of engine it was home to. "It's amazing." I glanced back at Edward, "why the hell does she drive with you, if she has a car like that?" I asked with a joking grin.

Edward's eyes lightened and I was happy to draw him out of his somber mood. "We _try_ to blend in."

"Well then, you fail miserably," I said with laughter in my voice.

"And why is that?" Edward asked as we got out of the car. He walked close by my side as he peered down at me, waiting for my answer.

"Well your whole presence in general screams other worldly. You are all so….perfect."

"You think I'm perfect?" Edward's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Oh you don't need to go fishing for compliments, Cullen. I'm fairly certain the entire female population of Forks is thinking enough nice things about you without needing to hear it from me."

Edward laughed and then heaved a sigh. "Believe me, sometimes I wish I couldn't hear their thoughts." I followed his gaze and laughed when I saw Jessica watching us with wide-eyes and mouth hanging open in shock.

As we approached I saw that my jacket was slung over her arm. "Oh, thanks Jessica."

Jessica nodded dumbly and then turned her wide eyes to Edward. When I looked at Edward I could see he was trying not to laugh, his lips twitching at the sides.

"Good morning, Jessica," he spoke in a low, velvety voice and Jessica looked about ready to faint. He glanced towards me when a short gasp of laughter escaped from my mouth but Jessica's eyes remained steadfastly on Edward.

"Uh….hi," she replied when her brain started working again. Jessica shook her head to clear the haze in her mind and then glanced purposefully at me. "I'll see you in Trig, Bella."

I heaved a sigh as she walked away. "Just great, now I get to be interrogated by the little miss gossip." I started walking towards my first class and Edward stayed right at my side.

"What are you going to tell her?"

I shrugged and looked at Edward expectantly. "What does she want to know?"

"She wants to know if we are secretly dating and she wants to know how you feel about me." Edward tried to keep his voice light but I could hear some strain in his usually smooth voice.

"Dating?" I asked dumbly and Edward nodded his head. "Uh, wow, what should I say to that?" That was completely unchartered territory for me.

We came to a stop in front of my class. Edward's eyes dropped to the ground for a second before rising to meet my gaze. "I think it would be best to say yes to the first question- it would be the easiest explanation as to why we are hanging out so much." I nodded my head in agreement because I wasn't really sure what to think on the subject. "And as for the second part…well, I guess I'll be listening in to hear your answer," Edward said with a small smile and then walked away.

I stared after him with a small frown on my face. I wasn't sure what he meant by that. I thought I made it pretty clear I liked him. I got along with him better than pretty much anyone else and I thought we were friends.

Mike was actually helpful in distracting me during English. He kept me preoccupied by having me tell him everything Jessica had said about their dinner-date on Monday and how excited she was for the dance.

Trig came around soon enough and I rolled my eyes when I walked into the class and saw Jessica sitting in the back row. She waved me over excitedly as she bounced up and down.

"You're still wearing his jacket."

I looked down at the jacket and then back up at Jessica. "It would appear so, yes."

After I sat down I looked over to Jessica who was looking at me with accusing eyes.

"You're still wearing his jacket," she commented again.

I narrowed my eyes at her and snuggled into the jacket more. "So? It's comfy."

Jessica shook her head and sat up straight, leaning in slightly towards me. Her eyes shined with interest.

"Tell. Me. Everything," she demanded.

I suppressed a groan and gave in. "He took me to dinner and then drove me home."

"Nuh uh missy. I want details. You are not going to get away with that pathetic explanation," Jessica reprimanded, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed.

"Uh, what exactly do you want to know?"

"_Everything_."

Deciding it would be pointless trying to weasel my way out of it, I proceeded to tell her about the night, starting from the moment Angela and her had left. It was easy enough to remember details since I always remembered whatever I saw and I had reported missions enough that reporting the night to Jessica was a walk in the park. I just put my brain on autopilot and recounted the night's events- omitting any mentions of vampires, of course.

"Wait! Was the waitress pretty?" Jessica interrupted me.

I frowned at her. "Um, sure, yeah I guess so."

"How old was she?" Jessica pressed, obviously thinking information on the waitress was of vital importance.

"Probably nineteen or twenty."

Jessica squealed in delight and grinned widely at me. "Oh my gosh, this is amazing. He _must_ like you, if he ignored her completely."

I shrugged my shoulders. I would hope he liked me, or else I would be alone in assuming we were friends.

"Do you like him?"

"Of course, why else would I hang out with him? He's a good friend."

Jessica gave me an incredulous look and I frowned at her. "What?"

"Bella," she started in a patient tone as if I was a small child she was explaining something to. "I meant, do you _like_ him like him?"

"Huh…"

_Do I __**like**__ him like him?  
_

Suddenly everything clicked. Jessica was asking if I liked Edward in a romantic way….and Edward wanted to know the answer himself. Edward was listening to the conversation and waiting to hear what I thought about him as _more_ than a friend.

"Oh…" I said softly.

I had no idea what to think. Edward was a good friend- my only true friend. I wasn't even sure how to process the possibility of feeling something more for him.

"I…I uh, never thought about that."

Jessica looked at me strangely. "You never thought about Edward like that? How could you not? He's god-like!"

"I don't know…I was just enjoying getting to know him. And I don't have any experience in that field."

Jessica let out a loud gasp and a few of the other students turned around to look at us. Jessica waved her hand to get them to turn back around before giggling softly.

"You've never dated anyone?"

I shook my head and Jessica squealed again. "Oh wow, your first love is going to be Edward Cullen! How lucky are you?"

"I don't love him."

Jessica smiled and gave me a knowing look. "All in due time, Bella."

_I do not love Edward Cullen. I can't love Edward Cullen. I cannot fall in love with Edward Cullen. _

Being friends with Edward was amazing and I enjoyed spending time with him so much, but liking him in that way was too much. I couldn't handle that. I was already breaking so many rules by befriending a vampire. There was no way I could fall in love with one. It just couldn't happen.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I managed to distract Jessica the rest of the class by telling her Mike had asked about her in English. She might love gossip, but her personal life would always be more important than any information she thought she could get out of me about Edward.

Jessica pretty much dominated the conversation so I was allowed to let my mind wander. By the time the lunch bell rang, I was a bundle of nerves. My muscles were tense and my head throbbed with a headache from thinking about Edward too much. Knowing that he had been listening to our conversation just made things worse because I had no idea how to face him at lunch.

Did he like me in _that_ way? Or did he just view me as a friend and wanted to make sure I felt the same? Did he want a relationship? Or was he afraid he was leading me on or something?

"Ugh…this is exactly why I didn't have a normal life. I'm not able to deal with this teenage drama," I groaned as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

When my fingers touched the door handle to the cafeteria, an overwhelming urge to run away and hide washed over me. My feet were frozen in place and my heart raced quickly.

_I am Bella Swan. I do not run away. I meet things head on and conquer any obstacles. _

Taking a deep breath of cool air, I pushed the door open and entered the cafeteria. My eyes scanned the room and I immediately spotted Edward sitting alone at a table in the corner. I continued my scan and saw his family watching him from a table in the other corner. My eyes returned to Edward. His face was an unreadable mask and his golden eyes pierced through me. I forced myself to look away and got into line to get my lunch. I stalled while paying for my food but then made myself walk over to where Edward was sitting.

He didn't say anything as I sat down and his eyes remained steadfast on the table in front of him. His fingers tapped out a nervous rhythm and made me more anxious. We had never been this awkward around each other. Even the first day when we had been poised to kill each other had been better than this. Fighting was something I could handle. Emotional turmoil was not.

"Jessica is watching us and analyzing everything I do. She's going to help you analyze it later."

I almost jumped when Edward's voice broke the silence but managed a weak smile when he glanced up at me. "Great," I said with sarcasm and a roll of my eyes.

Edward raised his eyes to mine and seemed to be searching for some sort of answer. I had no clue what he was searching for or if it would even be there for him to find. My fingers pulled nervously at the string on his jacket sleeve and I had to force myself to hold his gaze. After another second his eyes darted over my shoulder and his mouth twisted into a slight scowl.

I glanced over my shoulder and found his family watching us carefully. Blonde Bitch was glaring at Edward while Muscle Man just watched us both curiously. Quiet One was studying me with a guarded expression on his face and I could see the cold calculating glint in his eye. Perky Pixie was staring at Edward intently, every once in a while her eyes darted towards me. She gave Edward a pointed look and I knew she was communicating something to him.

"So," Edward's voice drew my attention back towards him, "how did the interrogation go?"

"I'm sure you know exactly how it went considering you were listening in," I said carefully as I watched his expression.

Edward glanced over my shoulder for a brief moment before settling his eyes on me. "Actually, I didn't. There was an accident in the chemistry class next door to my class and I got distracted by all of their thoughts. By the time I sifted through the muddle and found Jessica, you guys were discussing Mike."

I studied Edward, trying to detect a lie, but his expression remained stoic and he met my gaze evenly. Relief washed through me and the ball of tension in my stomach uncoiled.

"It went fine. I don't think we need to worry about her spreading any scandalous rumors about us," I said with a grin.

Edward let out a huff of breath and relaxed back, crossing his arms over his chest as he smiled at me. "Well that's good to hear. I'm not so sure I could handle the guilt of having your reputation slandered, Miss Swan."

Grinning at Edward, I was happy to have the easy-going flow between us again. "Oh no, we could never have that happening Mr. Cullen."

We settled into our normal banter as I picked at my lunch. I asked Edward why he even bothered buying lunch and he said it was to keep up the pretense of being human. When I pointed out that it was a waste of food he just shrugged his shoulders and said that cafeteria food didn't qualify as "food" anyways.

"Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?"

"I do not have admirers," I said with a snort.

"I would beg to disagree. The male population took a liking to you on your first day here."

I frowned at Edward and shook my head. "That just means they are lusting after my body. Plus, I don't think that would qualify them as admirers. Admiring someone means you have respect for them. They are just fans of my body. So I have fans, not admirers."

"That is quite the distinction," Edward commented. "But, I never said anything about them only liking you for your body." He was leaning forward, resting his weight on his forearms as he watched me.

I laughed at his serious expression. "Well, it's not like they could like my personality."

Edward's eyes narrowed and his mouth became a thin line. "Why would you think that?"

"Come on Cullen, we both know I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with. I frustrate you on a daily basis and you are actually someone I connect with. For some unknown reason, our personalities mesh, probably something to do with your maturity level being far beyond anyone else here. But I would never fit in as a normal teenager."

Edward tilted his head to the side for a second in a thoughtful manner before rousing himself from whatever tangent his mind took. "I happen to enjoy your personality tremendously."

Smiling at Edward, I stood up and slung my backpack over my shoulder. "And I enjoy yours too, Cullen." I threw my trash away and nodded my head for Edward to follow. "Now let's get going. We're going to be late."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

I sat down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria after buying my lunch. My thoughts were a swirling chaotic mess and I didn't know which trail to follow to clear my head. Listening to Bella's reaction to Jessica's question had been a troubling experience.

Bella's answer had been a blessing and a curse- an answer that sparked an inner battle between my human and vampires selves.

My human side was relieved that she hadn't considered me in a romantic way before because it meant she wasn't getting too attached. It gave me peace of mind that she wouldn't be hurt if I ever had to leave because I was a threat to her.

But it also hurt.

An ache had settled in my chest when I realized that she never considered that type of feeling for me. My vampire instincts told me she was the one. There was no other person that I would share this deep of a connection with. And it hurt that I felt that connection more than she did, or maybe ever would.

My eyes snapped up as soon as Bella walked into the cafeteria. She had been easy to start locating simply because wherever she was there was a void of thought. Where her thoughts were supposed to be was instead just nothingness.

I watched as her eyes scanned the cafeteria, her eyes resting on me for a brief moment before continuing their perusal of the room. Once her scan was done she watched me, studying my face. I made sure to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to alarm her about the torrent of emotions running through me. She dropped my gaze and went to get her lunch.

I chanced a glance at my family and immediately reverted my eyes to the table when I found them all watching me. I twisted the cap off of the water bottle and spun it around my fingers. I kept my eyes down when Bella took a seat across from me. The silence around us was stifling and was putting me on edge.

"Jessica is watching us and analyzing everything I do. She's going to help you analyze it later," I broke the silence and felt slightly guilty when Bella jumped in shock.

"Great," she recovered quickly, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

I looked into her eyes, hoping that I'd be able to find some sort of clue as to how I was supposed to react. Her warm brown eyes peered into mine, holding steady, but I knew I was making her nervous. Her heart gave a sporadic thump and her fingers twisted nervously under the table.

_Don't push her. _

I looked over Bella's shoulder and gave Alice a questioning look.

_You can't push her, Edward. If you do, you'll lose her. _

I frowned at Alice's warning and tried to sift through Alice's thoughts to find a reason behind her cautioning but I couldn't find any hint that she had a vision.

_I can't believe you have the nerve…_

I dulled Rosalie's angry thoughts until they were just a low rumble in the background. Looking towards my more beloved sister, I tried to come to a decision for myself.

Alice's warning meant that my relationship with Bella all depended upon how I acted in this moment. I could push her too far and force her away, ensuring that she would be safe from me. Or I could heed Alice's warning and handle Bella delicately, giving me the chance to nurture her feelings for me slowly.

_Don't be stupid, Edward. You know you need her, _Alice thought with a reprimanding look on her face. A small sigh escaped my lips and I looked at Bella who was studying my family.

"So, how did the interrogation go?" I asked, Bella's warm gaze returning to me.

"I'm sure you know exactly how it went considering you were listening in," Bella said in a nervous voice.

I glanced at Alice briefly before strengthening my resolve. "Actually, I didn't. There was an accident in the chemistry class next door to my class and I got distracted by all of their thoughts. By the time I sifted through the muddle and found Jessica, you guys were discussing Mike."

Bella studied me closely, trying to puzzle out whether I was telling the truth or not. I kept my eyes void of my real emotions and instead tried to pull off a look of slight curiosity. Bella seemed to find my lie believable and I watched as her body slackened in relief.

"It went fine. I don't think we need to worry about her spreading any scandalous rumors about us," Bella said with a grin.

I relaxed when I saw her return to her normal light-hearted mood. It was painful to see her warm eyes darkened with worry.

"Well that's good to hear. I'm not so sure I could handle the guilt of having your reputation slandered, Miss Swan."

"Oh no, we could never have that happening Mr. Cullen."

Our conversation remained playful for the most part and I tried my best to just enjoy my time with Bella. It would only make matters worse if I infected her with my darkened mood.

"Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?" I asked towards the end of lunch.

"I do not have admirers," she said with an effeminate snort.

"I would beg to disagree. The male population took a liking to you on your first day here," I barely restrained the growl when I remembered exactly some of the not so respectable thoughts about Bella on the first day.

Bella's eyebrows crinkled down in a thoughtful frown as she shook her head in disagreement. "That just means they are lusting after my body. Plus, I don't think that would qualify them as admirers. Admiring someone means you have respect for them. They are just fans of my body. So I have fans, not admirers."

"That is quite the distinction," I said pensively. "But, I never said anything about them only liking you for your body." I leaned forward and watched her closely, intrigued by her thoughts.

Bella's musical laughter burst forth and my lips lifted in a responding smile without prompting. "Well, it's not like they could like my personality."

My smile immediately turned into a frown at her words and I gave her an unbelieving look. "Why would you think that?"

"Come on Cullen, we both know I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with. I frustrate you on a daily basis and you are actually someone I connect with. For some unknown reason, our personalities mesh, probably something to do with your maturity level being far beyond anyone else here. But I would never fit in as a normal teenager."

Something about how Bella phrased that seemed a little off. She hadn't said she wouldn't fit in _with_ normal teenagers, she said she wouldn't fit _as_ a normal teenager- implying that she wasn't a normal teenager?

_I've just noticed some things about her that make me suspicious of her, _Jasper's words flickered through my mind and I shook my head to clear my thoughts of his mistrust.

"I happen to enjoy your personality tremendously."

Bella gave me a small smile as she stood up from the lunch table. "And I enjoy yours too, Cullen." She threw her trash away and nodded her head for me to follow. "Now let's get going. We're going to be late."

I got up from the table and discarded my uneaten lunch. Following after Bella, a laughing thought flickered into my mind from Alice.

_Have fun…_

I frowned slightly at Alice's tone but continued following Bella out of the cafeteria towards Biology.

* * *

**A/N: ** ok, so a lot of you guys have been asking whether or not bella and Edward are going to get together in a romantic way and the answer is **YES**. But, you all need to realize that Bella will take a lot longer to develop those types of feelings or even recognize them because

1. she is a Hunter and has had a hard enough time accepting her friendship with Edward. She needs time to accept the fact that it would be alright to fall in love with him.

2. Bella also has NO experience with this sort of thing. Her interactions with ppl prior to this mission revolved around training, reporting to the directors, or killing vampires...meaning she has no clue how to interact with ppl. She's learning as she goes in her friendship with Edward, she needs time to learn romantic aspects of the relationship.

so, all in all, give her time.

I probably won't be updating again before xmas so MERRY CHRISTMAS.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Edward and I walked into Biology with just a few seconds to spare. We slid into our seats and exchanged glances of amusement when we caught our fellow students trying to watch us. Apparently, our friendship was the new juicy piece of gossip all the dogs wanted to latch onto. I had a slight inkling that Jessica had probably already spread rumors about it being more than that.

My eyes flickered towards Edward again, but this time, it was in contemplation.

Edward's personality drew me to him like a moth to a flame. His mind was sharp and he was able to go toe to toe with me in our verbal quips. He knew how to push my buttons and test me, but he also knew when to calm me down. My personality was like a raging river, swiftly and harshly battering into everything I came into contact with. Edward knew how to read the flow of the river. He knew when it was best to give way a little so as not to let the pounding waters break him, but he had an inner-strength that insured I would never just sweep over him in a coursing wave.

It scared me how well our personalities melded together…

"Bella?"

I was snapped out of my thought when Edward spoke my name. His eyebrows were drawn down in a frown and his light eyes darkened in concern.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded my head and tried to shake myself out of pensive thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine." I gave Edward a wicked grin and nodded my head towards our peers who were still trying to watch us. "Just contemplating how I wish I could torture the nosy people."

Edward's mouth remained in a thin line for a second more before he seemed to accept my words. His lips upturned in a small smile, "well make sure to clue me in on any plans you make."

My attention was brought to the front of the room when Mr. Banner wheeled in a huge ass TV and positioned it up front. He ignored the whispers of excitement and relief and turned the TV on before pressing play.

"Make sure you pay attention," he ordered as he sat down and then started grading tests. "Jason, turn the lights off please."

The kid in the front row got up happily and flicked the switch to the lights, plunging the classroom into darkness. I heard Edward let out a quiet gasp of air and his scent washed over me in a dizzying haze.

My body went rigid with the hyper-awareness that suddenly overcame me. I could feel Edward sitting directly to my left and just a few inches behind me. Waves of chilled air came off his body and sent tingling shivers down my spine. My breath came faster than normal and my heart beat rapidly in my chest.

I tried to calm myself down but all I could think about was Edward's close proximity. I knew he wasn't a threat, yet my body responded the way it did anytime a vampire was around. The past few weeks I sometimes had this reaction around Edward, but I had always been able to calm down and relax in his presence. It didn't make any sense to me because I had been fully aware that Edward was there. He hadn't done anything to cause a spike in my Hunter reflexes to a vampire. So why were all my sense going into overdrive?

_It's Edward. He won't hurt me. It's Edward, my friend._ I kept repeating the words over and over in my head but the mantra didn't seem to be helping.

I tried to even out my breathing but then Edward's intoxicating scent overwhelmed me. The even steady breaths I pulled in made it so I couldn't escape his sweet scent. My fingers clenched with strain, my fingernails digging into my thighs in an effort to distract myself. I winced when I pinched myself but it didn't snap me out of whatever was going on.

I looked desperately towards the clock and watched as the seconds slowly ticked by. When there was just ten minutes left in class I chanced a glance at Edward and felt concern when I saw he seemed to be in pain.

His body was rigid and the tendons in his arms strained against his pale skin as he gripped the edge of the lab table with his slender fingers. I could see that he had stopped breathing, his chest eerily still and unmoving. His amber eyes glowed in the darkened room and I could see pain and discomfort in his gaze. I wanted to apologize for causing him pain, the evidence for his hurting most obviously being my blood.

I tore my eyes away from his gaze and affixed them onto the clock once again. I nearly cried in relief when Mr. Banner stood up two minutes before class let out and flicked the lights on.

The classroom flooded with brilliant light and my body sagged in relief as my senses went back to their normal levels. The hyper-awareness dulled to a tolerable intensity and I let out a sigh. I glanced back towards Edward with an apologetic smile and saw that he seemed to be more in control of himself now too.

"Sorry," I said earnestly.

Edward cocked his head to the side slightly, his eyes shining with confusion. "For what?"

"Well, I noticed that you seemed really uncomfortable and I…" glancing around just to make sure that there was no one around, I continued, "know it was probably because of my blood that you were having a rough time."

Edward stared at me for a long moment and I thought I saw a flash of sadness wash into his eyes before he masked it. "…I told you before Bella, that isn't something you ever need to apologize for."

I shrugged my shoulders and nodded towards the door. "I need to get going to P.E. now, but you're giving my a ride home, right?"

Edward nodded his head but his eyes wouldn't meet mine. "Yeah, of course…"

I got up from my seat and walked towards the door. When I glanced back at Edward, he was staring solemnly at the table in front of him. I wanted to stay and comfort him somehow, ease whatever worries plagued him, but I knew that I would probably just make things worse because my blood seemed to be effecting him a lot today. I gave him one last look before walking out of the room and going to P.E.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mike cornered me outside of the girl's locker room.

"Nope, we need to get to the gym," I ignored him as I walked by.

"But Bella…"

I walked right into the gym and made sure to take a seat in front of Coach Howard so that Mike wouldn't try to talk to me. Coach Howard explained the rules of badminton and I listened attentively, trying my best to ignore the sideways glances Mike kept shooting at me. After fifteen minutes Coach Howard told us to split up into teams and I sighed when Mike latched onto me.

"Bella, I wanted to talk to you about Edward," Mike started in and I rolled my eyes at his predictability. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be hanging out with him."

"And why is that?" I asked in feigned interest.

"Because I don't like the way he is so possessive of you. He's always around you and doesn't let you hang out with us anymore."

_Oh dear, stupid Mike…if only you knew I didn't want to hang out with you anyways._

"We're friends, Mike, and I'm not going to stop hanging out with him," I chastised. "Now can we please play?"

As much as he annoyed me, Mike was a really good athlete and was always an asset when we played on teams together. We easily won the first match and were starting to dominate the second. Mike started to really get on my bad side, though, when he started making snide little comments about Edward under his breath.

With about two minutes left in the class, I had finally had enough. When it was my turn to return the birdie, I aimed it right at Mike who was positioned under the net in front of me. It smacked into his head with a good amount of force and he let out a girlish yelp in his shock. I purposely kept it a weak enough hit so that he wouldn't get injured but Mike started whining about his head, hoping I would be sympathetic and take care of him. Instead, I yelled a quick apology as I ran out of the gym and went to get changed.

When I walked out of the locker room, I found Edward leaning against the red brick wall waiting for me. I gave him a grin as I walked up to him and he smiled down at me with playful humor in his eyes.

"It's not nice of you to threaten your teammate's life with a flying birdie to the head, you know?"

I bit my lip in laughter and started walking towards the parking lot, Edward at my side. "Meh, he had it coming."

"I'm sure he did," Edward said in a placating tone. When we got to his car, Edward held the passenger door open for me and laughed when I said, 'chivalry isn't dead; it's undead.'

"So I've come to a decision," Edward announced as we pulled into the driveway to Charlie's house.

I turned in my seat to face Edward, "and what decision would that be?"

"I've decided that tomorrow, it's my turn to interrogate you."

"I've let you ask your own questions!"

Edward shook his head in disagreement. "No, you've made it appear that way, but anytime I ask you a question you somehow turn the conversation back to me."

"Maybe you're more interesting?" I supplied and Edward just laughed.

"I find that highly doubtful…" I almost gulped nervously at the seriousness shining forth in his eyes, but was able to keep my nerve.

"Well, then I guess you'll just be disappointed tomorrow when you discover just how uninteresting Bella Swan truly is," I said with mock sadness. I turned to get out of his car and gave him a wave goodbye before going inside.

Once I was inside I did my homework and then went into the garage to workout. Charlie had helped me set up a punching bag in there so that I would have a place to keep in shape during the cold months.

I prepared lasagna and read a few chapters of _1984_ while it was cooking in the oven. I was pulling it out just as Charlie got home.

"Mmmm, smells good," Charlie complimented as his nose led him into the kitchen.

"Compared to the junk you used to eat, I'm sure anything I make would be good to you."

I slipped two heaping plates of steaming hot lasagna onto the table while Charlie got us each a bottle of water. We settled into our seats and enjoyed the meal in relative silence.

"So anything exciting happen at school today?" Charlie asked as we set the plates in the sink. He typically would wash them after whatever sports game he was watching for the night finished.

"Well according to the gossip mill, I'm dating Edward Cullen," I said offhandedly and laughed when Charlie spit a mouthful of water out.

"You're what?"

"I said according to the gossip mill. You know teenagers; they blow everything out of proportion. Pretty soon, it's going to develop into Edward and me having secret love babies."

"You do realize you are a teenager, correct?" Charlie asked with a chuckle.

"You can't prove that," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Until Hunter's retired, we basically didn't exist. There was no paperwork documenting anything about who we really were and we assumed new identities once we retired. When we were with the organization, we were basically shadow agents.

"Whatever kid," Charlie mumbled as he went to the living room. The booming voices of sport newscasters met my ears and I decided to go upstairs and send Lucas my weekly email, updating him on how things were proceeding.

When I checked my email, I saw that there was a message from Lucas saying he wanted me to call him immediately. I sighed and contemplated ignoring the message but figured that would just make his temper worse.

I dialed the number given to me in the message and waited patiently as it rang. On the third ring the phone was picked up but no one spoke.

"Swan," I said and waited as I was transferred to Lucas. I was taken off hold ten seconds later.

"Swan, there is a group of vampires moving towards Washington that is becoming more difficult than we previously anticipated. The last two Hunters – Colt and Greyson- we sent to take care of them never returned and we believe that they were eliminated. Right now, you're current mission is too important to jeopardize by sending you on another one, but I wanted to let you know so that you keep a heads up if anything moves your way. Stay aware and notify me if you learn anything important."

I was shocked by the disturbing news but told Lucas I would stay on my toes.

"Other than that, it sounds like you are making good progress. Keep on gathering as much information as you can and try to infiltrate their coven further."

"Of course, Director."

Lucas hung up and I stared at the phone numbly.

I remembered Colt from my years training in the academy. He had been a student aide for my Weapons class during my fourth year. I remember I had been having trouble with the task of assembling a pistol and he had stayed behind one day to help me. Not many of the people at the academy liked me because I was so young and thought I didn't deserve to be there, that maybe the only reason I was there was because of the Director. But when he had helped me, he was patient with me, his eyes honest, his smile kind. I remember thinking he would be a great Hunter. A year later he had been sent out on his first mission and I was happy to hear of his feats every once in a while.

And now he was….gone.

I got ready for bed in a trance-like state and stared up at the ceiling after I lay down. My eyes refused to close, images of Colt's kind smile popping up whenever I did. I lay there for hours just processing the loss of someone I respected.

Coping with death was an important lesson that every Hunter learned early on. I had learned it earlier than most. I was only four years old when I lost my first mentor to a group of newborns that had cornered him without weapons. It had been the first instance where someone I knew died, and it was at the hands of a vampire.

From that moment on I had truly thrown myself into my training, swearing that I would help rid the world of those evil creatures. I had also stopped interacting with people other than on a superficial level. The Director was really the only constant I had in my life.

It was easy to keep myself isolated from the other students because I was so much younger than them and they resented me for it. It was easy to never form another bond with a mentor because I surpassed their teaching levels so quickly. Once I was promoted to mission rank at the age of 14, it became even easier to be completely alone because I didn't have time to think about the fact that I _was_ alone. I was too busy _surviving_.

But no matter how much I closed myself off…no matter how much I avoided people, there were always a few that managed to leave an impression. Like Colt, and his kind smile.

The sound of the alarm clock startled me and I turned to watch it through bleary eyes. I got ready for school, my body instinctively going through the usual routine, but my mind was trying to claw its way out of the shadows of isolation looming over me.

I was still lost in my mind when I stepped out of the door and into the cold air. My eyes alighted upon Edward, a brilliant statue standing apart from the gloom of fog. His amber eyes shone as he gave me a warm smile.

"Good morning Bella," his smooth voice beckoned me out of the shadows…

_I guess, I'm not so alone anymore. _

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

My smile faltered when Bella stepped out of her front door. She had always been tiny, but her bold personality always made her seem bigger. Now, she was so withdrawn, her eyes darkened with weariness, dark shadows under her eyes marking a night of little sleep, and she looked so breakable.

When her eyes spotted me, I saw them lighten a little and it made me determined to comfort her however I could.

"Good morning Bella," I with a soothing voice and calming smile. Her eyes lightened more and the responding curve of her lips made me smile wider.

"Edward," her voice breathed out, as if she was relieved to see me. It was such a contrast to her normal confident attitude, but it made me happy to know that she trusted me enough to let me see her like this.

I held the door open for her and she nodded her thanks as she slipped into the car. I darted around the front of my Volvo and gave her a wide grin as I slid into my seat.

"I hope you're ready."

Bella gave me a playful grin, a shadow of her normal one, but progress nonetheless.

"Bring it, Cullen."

"Favorite children's movie?"

"Matrix."

I gave her a weird look, "that's not a children's movie."

Bella laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "well, I watched it when I was a child."

"Okay, why is it your favorite children's movie then?"

Bella paused as she thought about how she wanted to explain it. "Well, it's about a group of people fighting a war that the general population doesn't even knows exist. They are fighting against a power, seemingly greater than themselves, to keep others safe. It's something that I admire. Plus, they have got wicked awesome combat skills," she finished with a grin. I nodded my head before continuing my questioning.

"Favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Mint chip."

"Favorite season?"

"Fall."

"Last song you listened to on your iPod?"

"Paper Aeroplane by Angus and Julia Stone."

"Do you play any instruments?"

"Nope."

"What instrument would you want to learn to play?"

"Cello. I've always been fascinated with the hauntingly beautiful sounds a great cellist can produce. Violins can be too whiny, but cello's resonate with your soul."

"Biggest fear?"

"Being lost."

"Lost?"

Bella nodded her head and gazed pensively out the window. "You live your life with a goal in mind, right? You're constantly moving towards reaching that goal, and people have usually got plans or paths they take to reach their destination. But things change. Everyday we learn things that force us to change that path. Things we thought we knew turn out to be false, people we meet teach us things that cause a shift, a rift in the path. And what if we can't find our way back? What if the new perspective or person changes our destination all together? I don't want to be thrown into a world of upheaval with no end in sight. I like having a place to strive towards, even if I never get there. I'm afraid that my life and goals are changing faster than I can keep up with and that pretty soon I'm going to be led so astray that I won't know how to cope. I'm afraid that my purpose is being taken away from me, or that maybe my purpose isn't quite so worthy as I previously believed. I'm afraid that I'm getting lost."

The whole time Bella spoke her eyes remained transfixed on the blur of world outside the window. Heavy silence filled the void left by her soft voice and we arrived at school wrapped up in our own thoughts.

After a minute Bella shook her head and turned to give me a smile. "Well, was that all the questions you had, Cullen?"

"Not even close. We'll continue at lunch."

Bella just laughed before walking to her first class. Like usual, I didn't really pay attention in my classes. Instead, my thoughts revolved around Bella. She was such an enigma. Whenever I thought I had a handle on her, she did something or said something that confused me all over again.

When lunch came, I continued with my questioning. I didn't have any particular order in which I asked my questions, I just wanted to get to know her as well as I could- as much as she would let me. I quickly learned that questions about her mother made her slightly uncomfortable. Apparently she didn't have a close relationship with her. It turned out that even though she hadn't known Charlie for long, she loved him a lot. Whenever she spoke of him I could see the admiration and respect she had for him shining in her eyes…even if she poked fun at him most of the time.

The lunch bell rang and I stiffened slightly when I glanced at Alice and she gave me a wide grin. Yesterday had been torture of the sweetest kind and apparently today would be much the same.

Bella remained relatively calm until we settled into our seats at the lab table and she spotted the TV at the front of the room. She glanced at me and pulled the jacket- my jacket- more securely around herself.

As soon as the lights turned off the torture began.

Her scent is what hit me first, the intoxicating smell of her blood made my mouth pool with venom, drawing my possessive vampire side to the forefront when I smelled my own scent on her because of the jacket. It made me want to mark her as my own. I immediately stopped breathing so as not to be tempted anymore by her smell.

The next level of torture came in the form of her strong heartbeat. I could hear the rush of blood pumping through her body. The beat of her heart was a rhythmic drum, her soft gasps of breaths intermingling to create a siren song in my mind.

My body ached to reach out and grab her, my fingers shaking with the restraint I forced upon myself. A magnetic force pulled me towards her and I had to latch onto the lab table before I moved closer.

She was so close I could feel the steady warmth her body emitted. My fingers wanted to touch her beautiful skin and see if she was warm enough to burn me; I held onto the table tighter, breaking off a chip of wood in the process.

When Bella glanced at me, an electric shock ran through me as our eyes met. Her pupils were dilated and the symphony of her heart soared to greater heights. I was drowning in the dark pools of her eyes and she was the only one who would be able to save me. Luckily, she broke eye contact and resumed her studious watch on the clock.

I tried my best to distract myself, reciting _The Raven_ in my mind. The movie finished halfway through the class and I let out a relieved sigh when the lights turned back on. With the lights on, my mind could be distracted from the temptation Bella posed.

I looked at Bella and she opened her mouth, sincere apology shining in her eyes. "Don't, it's not your fault, remember?" I spoke before she could say anything.

Yesterday, I thought she would have felt the electricity flowing between us. I thought she had been affected the same way I had, her hammering heartbeat being a false sign of hope for me. But when she had apologized for making me uncomfortable, I realized that maybe it was just because she was frightened of my behavior during the class that her body responded the way it had.

"Alright, well make sure to prepare your next round of questions," she said before walking to gym. I watched after her and went to my last class of the day.

When we were back in my car, I resumed my questioning until we reached her home. Bella answered all the questions I posed good-naturedly and explained her answers with a self-assured air. I admired her confidence and thought it unique that she had such a deep understanding of her own mind. Most people her age didn't think about things thoroughly or on a deep level, accepting superficiality as good enough. But Bella didn't follow the rules of popular culture and stayed true to herself and what she believed.

_I wonder if Bella will be there…_the voice of an adolescent boy reached my mind.

_I guess I'll be meeting Charlie's Bella for the first time,_ a gruff voice joined and I stiffened in my seat. It was Billy Black.

I glanced at Bella and she was studying me curiously. "What's wrong?"

I looked down the road and saw a truck approaching. "Billy Black is here."

Bella turned to watch the road as well. "Jacob's dad? He's one of the Quileute leaders, right?" She turned to watch me. "He believes the legends doesn't he? That's why you're so nervous."

I nodded tersely and Bella immediately slipped out of the car. She smiled at me, "get out of here, Cullen." I gave her a thankful smile for understanding why I needed to leave. As soon as she stepped back from the car, I reversed quickly and sped down the road. I kept my eyes reverted as I passed Billy's truck but I could feel his glare piercing into me.

When I glanced up, I saw his black eyes filled with anger and loathing. I quickly focused on the road again, trying to ignore the reminder about what I truly was- a monster of legends.

* * *

Correction: I noticed an error in the original chpt. Biology teacher's name is Mr. Banner, not Mr. Varner like I previously had it.

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight.**

**A/N:** wow, you guys are so awesome with the reviews! I might even break 100 by the end of this thing, which is way more than i expected for my first fanfic, so THANK YOU!

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	13. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12**

"Billy!" Charlie yelled as he came out onto the porch. I stood by his side as Jacob pulled into the driveway and parked their car. Jacob helped his dad out of the car and I was surprised to see the wheelchair.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake," Charlie chastised.

Jacob gave Charlie and playful grin, "we get our permits early on the rez."

I laughed at Jake's response and Charlie just shook his head in humor.

"Give the boy a break, Charlie. I need some way of getting around," Billy's gravely voice reached my ears. His voice embodied wisdom gained through seeing many things in life.

I ducked into the house while Charlie helped Jacob get Billy's wheelchair up the stairs. I held the door open for them and waited as they took their wet jackets off.

I could feel Billy's speculative gaze on me and I turned to meet his dark eyes. His face was marked with age lines and his eyes swirled with knowledge.

"Billy, Bella. Bella, Billy," Charlie introduced.

"Say that five times fast," Jacob joked under his breath and all of us broke out into amused grins.

I clasped hands with Billy and felt small when his giant paw engulfed my entire hand. His eyes were searching my face and I could see the underlying wariness caused by Edward's presence in my life.

"It's nice to finally meet you," I said.

Billy nodded his head, "same."

"Well, I hope you guys can stay for the game," Charlie said as he ushered them into the living room.

"I think that's the plan. Our TV broke last week," Jacob joked as he plopped onto the couch. I almost laughed when I saw how easily men were consumed in a sport's game.

"Anyone want something to eat?" I asked after a few minutes.

Jacob and Billy declined but Charlie said he'd take whatever I was willing to make. When I got into the kitchen I decided I would keep it simple and just make a few grilled cheese sandwiches. I had the sandwiches cooking on the pan when I heard Jacob walk into the kitchen behind me.

"So how are you?" He asked as he stuck his head into the fridge, searching for a soda.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Good for the most part, but I'm a little sad cause I can't find the part I need for my car."

"You're building a car?" I turned to face Jacob and saw his face light up.

"Yeah, I started working on it a few months ago and it's coming along nicely."

"How'd you get into cars?"

Jacob hopped onto the counter across from me and shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, I guess I always liked using my hands and what better way to get your hands dirty than to work on a greasy engine, right?" He asked with a grin. I laughed and nodded my head in agreement.

"Speaking of which, who was driving the Volvo?"

I hesitated in my answer, wondering how Jacob would respond. "Edward Cullen."

Jacob let out a short laugh and shook his head. "Guess that explains it then. I was wondering why my dad was acting so strange. I don't understand how he could believe in those stupid legends."

I hid my smirk by turning around to take the grilled cheese off the stove. Jacob would never know just how correct his dad was in being wary of the Cullens.

"So…" Jacob started curiously. "Are you guys like dating?"

I shot Jacob a strange look. "No, why would you say that? We're just friends."

Jacob studied me for a few seconds and then his eyes darted down to my jacket- Edward's jacket- and a playful grin spread over his face. When his eyes raised to meet mine again I could see the same knowing look in them that Angela, Jessica, and Charlie always seemed to be giving me. I frowned in annoyance and stalked past him into the living room and handed Charlie his sandwich.

When I walked back into the kitchen, Jacob studied me again in silence as he took a sip from his soda.

"Can you stop?"

Jacob's smile widened, "stop what?" His face was innocent but his eyes were swirling with mischievousness.

"Stop looking at me like that!"

Jacob laughed as he hopped down off the counter. "Jeez Bella, take a chill pill, will ya?" Just as he was walking out of the kitchen I thought I heard him mutter "Just friends, my ass."

I stayed in the kitchen and ate my grilled cheese in silence. I joined them for the end of the game and was entertained by all the yelling they did. It was amusing to see grown men yelling at the TV as if the players on the other side could actually hear them. After the game finished, Charlie and I walked them to the door.

"Are you and your friends going to come down to the rez again?" Jacob asked as he pushed Billy onto the porch.

I smiled at Jacob, "not sure about my friends, but I'll definitely try to make it down to visit you."

Jacob grinned at me and I could see some relief in his eyes. He had been worried that he had offended my earlier in the kitchen.

"That was fun, Charlie," Billy said as he shook hands with Charlie.

"Make sure you guys drop by for the next game."

"We will," Billy turned his gaze to me, "it was nice to meet you, Bella."

I nodded my head, "yeah, it was nice to meet you too."

We watched as the father and son got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. I walked back into the kitchen to wash the dishes and almost let a sigh slip from my mouth when I felt Charlie enter the kitchen behind me. Apparently, the kitchen was no longer a safe place for me because people seemed to be cornering me there all the time now.

I peeked over my shoulder to find Charlie leaning against the counter watching me.

"Was there something you needed to say?"

"No, not really. Just wanted to ask how you've been doing, I guess."

I shrugged my shoulders, "good."

"And your mission?"

"Good too."

"Alright, cause I know that you were worried about Edward…"

"It's fine, Charlie," I snapped. I appreciated Charlie's advice but I didn't want him thinking that I was incompetent in my job. I could handle the mission just fine.

Charlie remained silent while I scrubbed furiously at the pan. After a minute he heaved a sigh and said goodnight. I finished up in the kitchen and then went to my room to do some homework. By the time I was sliding into my bed, I was exhausted and fell asleep easily.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

When I walked into the kitchen the next morning, there was an awkward silence surrounding Charlie and me. I made my usual bowl of cereal and sat down at the table across from Charlie who was drinking his coffee and reading the paper.

"I'm sorry about last night," I said softly.

Charlie glanced at me over his paper and I could see amusement in his eyes. "I never would have expected you to apologize."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I can recognize when I'm at fault. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that…I just, this mission has got me so confused but I'm still doing my duty. I don't want you to doubt my ability."

Charlie set down his newspaper and settled a serious look on me. "Kid, I know you are one of, if not _the_, best Hunter out there. I know you are capable of doing what's been asked, but even the best need a little help every now and then."

I nodded my head, "thanks Charlie."

Charlie stood up and sat his mug in the sink. "No problem, kid. Just remember that there are people you can turn to if you ever need them."

I finished my cereal quickly and Charlie left for work. I did the dishes and then ran upstairs to grab my backpack. By the time I came back downstairs, Edward had pulled into the driveway.

I gave Edward a grin as I hopped into the passenger seat. "You know, my truck is going to think I don't like him anymore since I haven't been driving him."

"I'm sure he'll understand."

Edward resumed his interrogation of me, his questioning still random, ranging from topics of weirdest dream I've ever had to when I learned how to ride a bike. By the time we got to lunch, I was relieved that his questions had started to slow.

"So did you really need to go to Seattle tomorrow or was that an excuse to not got to the dance?"

"Excuse."

"In that case, would you be willing to change your plans?"

I gave Edward a curious look. "Depends on what you're suggesting we change them to."

"Well, tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny, and I was thinking that I could show you what happens to me in the sun…" his voice was hesitant.

I stared at Edward in shock for a second. "Are you sure you're willing to share that?"

Edward paused in thought before nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm sure, but only if you want to."

I smiled at Edward and felt elated that he was willing to share something like that with me. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."

Edward smiled briefly before his mouth turned down in a slight frown. "In that case, I should have let you drive yourself today."

"Why?"

"I'll need to leave after lunch so I can go hunt as a…precaution," Edward's eyes dropped to the table and I could hear the guilt in his voice.

"Edward," I called and waited until his eyes rose to meet mine. "You know how you keep telling me not to apologize for my blood being potent to your vampiric senses?" Edward winced at my blunt wording but nodded his head. "Okay, well you have to stop feeling so ashamed of the fact that you need to go hunt before spending time alone with me. You are doing what is necessary to keep me safe, that isn't something you should be ashamed of."

Edward's dark amber eyes met mine, considering my words carefully. I kept my gaze steady to show him that I meant what I said. I saw understanding and slight relief enter his eyes and he nodded his head slowly in acceptance.

"That still doesn't solve the problem of you getting home."

"I can walk," I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

Edward scoffed at my comment. "I am not going to make you walk home."

"You aren't making me do anything. If I really wanted to, I could get a ride with Angela or if I was really desperate, I could ask Jessica, but I seriously don't mind walking. I need the exercise anyways."

The months of no serious training had me losing some of my muscle tone.

Edward looked like he was about to protest again so I decided to distract him. "Are you going hunting by yourself?"

Edward glanced towards the table where the rest of his family was sitting. "No, I'm going with Alice. She's the most…supportive."

I turned to watch his family as well and muffled a laugh when I saw they were still acting horribly obvious. Each of them was gazing in a different direction, and I could see Muscle Man's lips moving slightly as he spoke quickly to the rest of them. Suddenly, the blonde one turned to glare at me.

I watched curiously as her lips turned into a slight sneer, her eyes darkened with annoyance and anger as she looked at me.

"Blondie doesn't seem to like me very much," I commented and smirked when her eyes flashed at my title for her. Muscle Man's eyes flickered towards me and I saw his lips twitching in amusement.

"I'm sorry about Rosalie…" Edward broke off and my body tensed in awareness when he let out a low hiss. Rosalie turned her glare to Edward for a moment before getting up from the table and stalking out of the cafeteria. Muscle Man followed after her.

"Sorry about her…she doesn't approve of me spending time with you."

"Why not?" I asked as I turned my gaze to Edward.

"She's worried about what will happen to the family if this ends badly." I saw the brief flash of guilt and shame in Edward's eyes but it wasn't as prominent as usual. It made me happy that he was taking my words to heart.

"She obviously doesn't have faith in your restraint like I do then," I smiled at Edward.

Edward smiled briefly but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I guess not…"

My eyes darted to the side when I sensed a presence beside me. I turned to find Edward's other sister standing next to the table with a big smile on her face.

"Hi Edward," her light voice called out, though her eyes remained on me.

"Hello Alice," Edward responded and I could detect a slight edge of annoyance in his tone. "Alice, this is Bella. Bella, this is Alice."

Alice rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet and seemed to be radiating excited energy. "Hi Bella, it's so nice to finally meet you."

I nodded my head and offered her a smile in return. "Nice to meet you too, Alice."

"Are you ready?" Alice's eyes finally left my face to watch Edward.

"Almost, I'll meet you at the car."

Alice nodded her head and turned to walk out of the cafeteria. Slight jealousy bubbled up in my chest as I watched her fluid movements. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground and her muscles worked in perfect harmony as she glided across the floor.

"So what time should I pick you up?"

My attention focused on Edward once again. "Eight?"

"Fine with me."

The bell rang and we rose from the table. I threw away the remains of my school lunch happily and walked with Edward outside. He escorted me to Biology and smiled wryly when he saw that the TV was back at the front of the class.

"Guess it's a good thing I'll be leaving now. I don't know if I could handle another class period like those other ones."

I swallowed nervously when I remembered the previous two classes and my own reaction to being so close to Edward in the darkened classroom. I shook my head and decided not to think about that for now.

"Happy hunting," I said with a smile and Edward laughed in amusement.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." Edward paused, his eyes watching my face intently. "Try not to cause too much trouble in Gym today, okay?"

I shook my head and grinned at him, "no promises."

Edward laughed before turning around and walking to the parking lot. Biology went by slowly but when I got to Gym I found myself wishing that Biology had never ended. Apparently, Mike hadn't taken the hint from yesterday and was still questioning me about Edward.

"So I heard from Jessica that you are going to Seattle with Edward tomorrow."

I quickly realized that Mike would never let it drop so I decided to lie to him. "Actually, Edward is going to be busy so we won't be going."

Mike perked up and grinned widely. "That means you can come to the dance!"

"Mike, I am not going to the dance."

"Why not? You just said you're not going to Seattle," he whined and I contemplated hitting him with the birdie again.

"I said _we_ won't be going, but _I_ am still going."

"Oh," Mike seemed to deflate and I just shook my head. I had no idea why he was so fascinated by me. I had never been particularly nice to him or anything. Luckily Gym didn't last too much longer and I was happy when the final bell rang.

I made the walk home within an hour and went through my usual routine of homework, working out, cooking dinner, and reading. Jessica called some time after dinner and asked me about my cancellation with Edward that she had heard from Mike. Sometimes it amazed me at how quickly word traveled in high school. I fed her the same lie and then went back to reading. By the time I finished getting ready for bed, I was thoroughly exhausted and fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Alice asked softly as we leaned against a tree after our hunt.

"A little."

"Why are you nervous?"

I remained silent, unsure about how to express all my worries to my sister. Alice knew that I needed time to collect my thoughts and remained silent as she waited patiently for me to answer.

"I have reason to be nervous, don't I? What if….what if I ever lose control, for even a second?"

"You won't," she said confidently.

"You can't be sure of that," I growled out, expressing my frustration.

Alice waited for me to calm down before speaking slowly. "Edward, you have restraint second to only Carlisle and maybe not even him. You have to trust in your abilities more. You won't harm her."

I thought back to lunch when Bella had said something very similar. It had meant a lot to me that she was so trusting and it made me want to work harder to ensure there would never be an instance in which she had to doubt her safety in my presence….but I didn't think that worry would ever leave me.

I would never be able to forgive myself if I were to harm Bella.

"So do you regret getting closer to her?"

"Never," I answered without a moment of hesitation.

Alice smiled happily at my answer as she rose swiftly to her feet. "Don't worry so much, Edward. Things will work out as they are supposed to."

I gave Alice a questioning look but her thoughts gave nothing away. I had recently noticed that whenever Alice spoke of Bella, her thoughts were always slightly guarded and revealed nothing of any visions she had seen. It was becoming increasingly more frustrating because I would have felt more calm if I knew what Alice alluded to knowing about Bella. My relationship with Bella was so fragile, she was so fragile, and I didn't want to risk anything, including her safety, by making the wrong move.

_Race you back_, Alice thought as she fled from sight.

I let Alice have a few seconds head start and then rose to my feet and chased after her. I easily overtook Alice and beat her back to the house. I felt restless as I waited for the hours to tick by. My piano offered me a good distraction and I spent a few hours working through a new piece, inspired by Bella.

Sooner than I expected, it was time to go meet Bella. When I arrived at the house, I saw that Charlie's cruiser was gone. I knocked on the door and waited anxiously for Bella to answer. The door opened a moment later to reveal Bella's beautiful face. She had her normal playful grin on her face as she greeted me.

"Catch anything good?"

It caught me off guard sometimes that she was able to make mentions of my vampire needs so casually. "Nothing too wild. Are you ready?"

"Sure, but I want to drive," she said as she turned around to lock the front door.

I glanced warily at her truck and Bella chuckled from beside me. "Come on Cullen, don't be such a scaredy cat."

"I'm not scared for myself, I'm scared for the air quality and how much it will be harmed by that monster's emissions."

Bella stuck her tongue out at me as she climbed into the driver's seat. I slid into the truck and cringed when she turned it on, the roar of the engine hurting my sensitive ears.

"Sorry," Bella smiled sheepishly. I waved her off and then started giving her directions to where we were headed. When we reached the end of the road Bella shut her truck off and hopped out.

I smiled when I saw the excitement shining in her eyes. I could see her body filled with restless energy as her eyes darted around, taking in our surroundings. She raised a hand and pointed to the trail that started a little ways off.

"That where we're headed?"

I shook my head and pointed to the dense forest behind me. "Nope, this is where we are headed."

Bella joined me on my side of the truck and peered curiously into the dark forest. "How far?"

I leaned against the truck and smirked at her. "Five miles. Think you can handle it?"

Bella shot a playful glare at me before marching off directly into the dense vegetation. "Think you can keep up, Cullen?"

I chuckled under my breath as I followed after Bella. I let her lead for a little bit, but then i took the lead since she didn't know where we were going or where the easiest path was. There were a few times that I had turned around to help her up over a fallen log or something and was surprised to find that she easily scaled whatever obstacle presented itself in front of her.

About four miles into the hike, there was a small cliff we had to climb down. When I glanced back at Bella she shook her head and said she could do it herself. I jumped down quickly and watched Bella as she sized up the cliff. Her eyes scanned the rock, searching for the best way down.

"Are you sure you don't want some help?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I can do this," she said firmly.

She turned around and started lowering herself down. She made it about halfway down when her fingers slipped. I was just about to go catch her when she managed to regain a good grip on the slick surface. She looked down at me and grinned triumphantly.

"Mind stepping out of the way?"

I stepped to the side and watched intently as she lowered herself another few feet. She glanced to the ground again and then released, dropping down safely to the ground a few feet below.

Bella turned to face me with a grin on her face, her cheeks flushed with exertion. "Well that was exciting."

"You are a strange little human, Bella Swan," I chuckled.

"Ah, but the world would be so less interesting if I was a normal little human," she said with a smirk and i found myself nodding in agreement.

The rest of the hike was much more smooth. Bella laughed excitedly when she saw the sunshine breaking through the trees up ahead. She ran ahead of me and broke out into the meadow while I waited in the cover of shadows.

I smiled when she twirled around, taking in the beauty of the meadow. Her fingers danced over the flowers and her hair swirled around her. Her brown eyes brightened and small flecks of green were illuminated by the yellow sunshine.

"This place is amazing, Edward," her voice flew towards me. She turned to watch me and I could see the curiosity seep into her eyes.

Bella took a step towards me and I held my hand out to stop her. She stilled instantly and waited patiently for me to make the first move. I took a breath, Bella's sweet scent intermingling with the flowers, and calmed my nerves. My eyes rose to lock with Bella's and I could see the curiosity and trust sparkling in her brown eyes.

I was willing to share this with her, and only her. I took one more breath and then stepped out into the sun.

* * *

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight.**

**A/N: ** Wow, you guys are soooooo amazing! I can't believe how many fantastic and supportive reviews I have gotten. I'm sorry the update took so long, I'm back at school so the updates will be every other weekend...hopefully. XD

I love you all a bunch!

till next time,

ash


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_(Bella)_

A small gasp escaped my mouth as Edward stepped out into the warm sunshine.

Hunters learned early on that one of the reasons we needed weapons to even think about taking on a vampire was because of their stone-like skin. I had seen vampire skin close up; I had touched it briefly to drag pieces into the fires that would end them forever, but even all my experience as a Hunter couldn't have prepared me for this sight.

Edward's skin glistened and gleamed like the most precious of metals, but infinitely more strong. The sun's rays beat down on him only to be deflected by his perfect armor, splintered drops of gold falling down around him.

It was…

"Beautiful…" and strong and the essence of power. The sun exposed the truth, the unimaginable reality, that every single component of a vampire was fashioned to create the epitome of supremacy. I had never felt more respect for the danger of vampires than in that moment.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he sat down in the flowers before me. I stood there in shock, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that Edward would share this part of himself so willingly.

"Well, I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen Miss Bella Swan rendered completely speechless," Edward said teasingly, his eyes watching me in humor. His voice snapped me out of my stupor and I wordlessly dropped to the ground beside him.

My eyes kept on being drawn back to Edward as we sat in comfortable silence. The sun felt wonderful on my skin and my fingers plucked absently at the flowers around me. My fingers strayed closer to Edward, drawn to the wondrous sight of the sun being so easily deflected off of him.

"What are you thinking about?"

I glanced up to see Edward studying my face intently. His eyes were lighter than I had ever seen them before.

"Nothing…"

Edward moved into a sitting position, his hand slowly moving forward towards mine, but stopping just short of touching.

"Bella, please," his soft voice forced me to look into his amber eyes once again. I could see a hint of fear, darkened layers of worry washing over his rich ocher eyes.

"Edward, don't," I said firmly, his eyes flashing with confusion. "Don't regret this, don't think that I'm afraid."

"You should be."

"No, I shouldn't. You trusted me enough to share so much of yourself with me and I'm going to trust you and your control. I respect the power and danger you represent, but I don't fear _you_, Edward."

My body tensed slightly when Edward sprang to his feet, a low growl emitting from his throat. I watched closely as he dashed across the meadow, far faster than normal eyes would be able to track.

"Stop being so naïve. I am the world's best predator, Bella," Edward's voice hissed out just loud enough for me to hear. "My face, my voice, my body, they are all tools I could use to draw my prey in."

Adrenaline started pumping through my veins as Edward slowly stalked the edge of the meadow, his body tense and his face hidden in shadows.

"But it's a little funny, isn't it? I mean, what use could those possibly be when the prey doesn't have a chance of outrunning me anyways?"

I rose slowly to my feet, turning round and round, always keeping Edward in my vision as he prowled the perimeter. Then, faster than I had ever seen a vampire move before, he was behind me. His cool breath fanning across the back of my neck and sending shivers down my spine.

"As if you could fight me off…." his voice was low and sinister, mocking the fragility of the human state.

I should have been terrified in that moment, and angered at myself for dropping my guard….but I still trusted Edward. I trusted him more than I ever realized. My fingers, which usually reacted on instinct alone, didn't even flinch towards the knife strapped to my calf.

I slowly turned around to face him. Predatory excitement was dancing in his eyes and his nostrils were flared as he took in my scent. I met his eyes evenly and waited for him to calm down. After a few seconds the light dimmed down and his eyes grew remorseful and dropped to the ground.

"I am not naïve, Edward," I snapped out and Edward flinched slightly at my tone. I took a calming breath and continued in a softer voice. "I know you have the ability to kill me, but that doesn't mean you will. That predator you just let out for a few seconds is always inside you, but you restrain it, you remain in control."

Before I could think about what I was doing, I slowly raised my hand and turned Edward's face towards me, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "You can't keep doing this, Edward. You either trust yourself to be close to me or you don't." I searched Edward's eyes, hoping to make him understand. "I trust you, Edward, but I can't make you trust yourself. That's something you have to learn on your own."

Edward's eyes dropped to the ground for a second before rising once again. I smiled when I saw the determined look in his eyes.

"I can control myself, Bella. I promise, I won't ever hurt you." His amber eyes pierced through me, warmer than the sun shining down on us. My heart picked up pace when he moved to take my hand in his. Edward's finger moved soothingly over my pulse point and a shock ran through my body, causing my stomach to churn.

I stumbled a step backwards, my hand dropping from his. I turned around, breaking eye contact, and gaining the ability to breathe more normally again.

"I know you won't, Edward. I just needed you to see that for yourself," I said in a slightly breathless voice.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Once I got my heart rate back to a more normal level, I turned and gave Edward a small smile. I sat back down on the grass and reclined, motioning for him to join me. Edward lowered himself to the ground next to me and I closed my eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun caressing my face.

"I am terribly sorry for how rude I was before," Edward's soft voice broke the silence.

I laughed at his formal apology and peeked an eye open at him. "Believe me, I think I am far more rude on a daily basis than you have ever been in your entire lifetime, so you really shouldn't be apologizing."

"You're not rude." I snorted at Edward's statement and felt him move into a sitting position beside me. When I opened my eyes I saw a contemplative expression on his face.

"You're not rude….you are honest and have low tolerance levels for immaturity. You do get annoyed easily and you do have a slight temper, but you never unleash your temper without prompting. You apologize if you believe you have done something wrong and you know when you have pushed someone too far. You're a lot of things Bella Swan, but you are not rude." Edward smiled down at me, his eyes shining with warmth.

"So you've got me all figured out, huh Cullen?" I asked teasingly.

Edward nodded his head sagely and heaved a sigh as he lay back down next to me. "Indeed I do, and it's a heavy burden to know so much about the infamous Bella Swan."

"You know, you're just as complicated to handle as I am," I taunted as I pushed his shoulder with my hand.

"True, but it's to be expected that a vampire is more complex than a human."

I smiled to myself when Edward so easily referred to his vampire nature. It seemed he was really going to make an effort to accept it instead of fearing a loss of control.

"Don't insult the human race, you used to be one of us."

Edward nodded his head in acknowledgement before closing his eyes. Calm settled around us as we continued to lay there in the muted sunshine. Tiredness swept over me and I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open. A soft breeze flew through the meadow and the last thing I saw before drifting off to sleep was a little bird dancing in the wind.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I could feel my body moving swiftly, cold air speeding past me and biting my exposed skin. My eyes fluttered open and I quickly registered the surrounding forest zipping past. I swerved my head to the side and a muscled chest blocked my eyesight.

I felt a low rumble vibrate through the chest and when my eyes traveled upwards, I was met with the sight of a smirking Edward. I stuck my tongue out at him and gave him a slight glare.

"Put me down."

Edward hummed in thought and then shook his head in the negative. I frowned at him and tried squirming around, hoping he would put me down out of fear of dropping me. Sadly, my plan had the opposite effect and Edward just tightened his hold on me slightly, always careful not to hurt me. Realizing that attempts at escape would useless, I decided to just watch the blurred forest. I soon found myself enthralled by the speed at which we were moving, my eyes darting around wildly in an attempt to comprehend the surroundings flashing by. I was in awe at how easily Edward navigated his was through the obstacle ridden path.

Less than a minute later, Edward came to an abrupt halt and my mind registered the fact that we had arrived back at my truck. I felt Edward's arms loosen their hold on me and I was set gently on my feet. I closed my eyes for a second to reorient myself and then opened them to give Edward a small glare.

"You could have woken me up."

Edward shrugged his shoulders, "it was getting late and I didn't want to make you hike in the dark."

I huffed in slight annoyance but accepted his explanation. It wasn't really that I was mad at him, I was mad at myself. It had shocked me a great deal to find myself in the arms of a vampire. Admittedly, I considered Edward a friend first and a vampire second….but still, it was a little disturbing to find out my skills had decreased so dramatically to have let me be in such a vulnerable position.

I glanced up to find Edward watching me carefully and I realized that he was worried he had upset me. I flashed him a small grin and saw him relax his tense body.

"Sorry, I'm always cranky when I wake up. Plus, you know how I hate coming off as weak. Being carried around like that is a major blow to my ego," I fake pouted and saw Edward's lips twitch in amusement.

"God forbid your ego take a small hit," he muttered jokingly.

"Yes, god forbid," I nodded seriously. I wasn't able to keep a straight face for long and soon found Edward and I laughing loudly. Edward recovered the fastest and threw our travel packs into the truck bed. I was still stifling some chuckles as I climbed into driver's seat.

I asked Edward if he wanted me to drop him off at the Cullen house and he flashed me a guilty look before saying he would be fine with running back from my house. It was easy enough to tell that not every member of the Cullen clan approved of Edward spending time with me.

Darkness had claimed the little town of Forks by the time my truck roared into Charlie's driveway. As per our usual custom, we each turned in our seats to face the other and talk for a little in the calm night.

"Edward, I wanted to thank you for sharing that with me today. I know it took a lot of trust on your part," I said honestly, feeling the small stab of guilt that always afflicted me when I talked about trust.

Edward's lips lifted in a small smile. "You're the only one I would ever let see me like that, excluding my family, of course. To be truthful, you're the first person I've formed a bond with in decades."

His quiet admission made me feel the need to share part of myself with him as well. "Can I be honest with you?"

_You are under no circumstance allowed to reveal your identity as a Hunter._

I bit my tongue as Lucas's order barked loudly in my mind. I blinked back frustrated tears and wanted to scream in anger. I had never hated my job, my purpose, my life, so much as I did in that moment.

"Bella, you can always be honest with me," Edward spoke softly, obviously seeing the internal struggle I was going through, but not knowing the reason behind it.

My eyes snapped shut, not able to look Edward in the eye. "You're the first real friend I've ever had." The words were honest, and hard to admit, but not the truth I wanted to reveal.

My eyes fluttered open when I felt cool fingers hesitantly touch my cheek. Edward was close. His eyes were alight with so many emotions that I couldn't comprehend any of them.

My breath caught in my throat as he leaned ever closer and I felt my body completely freeze when his lips touched my cheek lightly. The contact lasted only a brief moment before Edward pulled back and whispered a soft goodbye and then hastened away before I could respond.

I numbly walked inside and up to my room, ignoring Charlie's yell asking how my day had been. When I made it to the sanctuary of my room, I threw myself onto my bed, staring at the ceiling unseeingly.

I brought my hand up to my face, my fingers touching the spot where Edward's lips had rested so softly against my cheek. Unbidden, heat rushed forth and my cheeks were aflame.

_Oh my fucking god…._I thought in bewilderment. _I'm falling for a vampire._

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

_I cannot believe I just did that. Why did I just do that?_

My thoughts were frantic and my body was tense as I paced back and forth in my bedroom. Alice had warned me time and time again not to push Bella. She told me not to rush things and what did I do? I went and kissed her, albeit, on the cheek. I couldn't believe how stupid I had acted.

The day had gone better than I ever could have hoped. Bella had been so understanding of everything I revealed and had made me realize that I should trust my control more than I did. She had helped me see how hard I was being on myself and helped ease the strain I was always under by dissipating my fear of hurting her. Because now I knew I never would.

But all of that seemed useless now. I had seen her face when I pulled away. In any other situation, the look of complete and utter shock on the fearless Bella Swan's face would have been amusing, but not in that moment. I knew the moment I saw her frozen posture and her paled features that I had acted too rashly.

"Edward!" My head snapped up and I looked distraughtly at Alice who was standing at my door. She quickly ran in and gathered me into her small arms, ushering me to the white couch pushed up against the far wall. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the couch, my head bowed down and hiding in my hands.

"What happened?" Alice's voice was layered with worry and a tinge of fear.

"I…." the words wouldn't come.

"Edward…" Alice's voice coaxed me to admit my brash action.

I raised my head and locked worried eyes with my sister. "I kissed her."

Alice sat there in shock for a moment before narrowing her eyes. I winced when she smacked the back of my head and huffed in anger. "Is that all? Jesus Edward, don't freak me out like that."

"What?" I asked with a frown.

"Edward," Alice paused and flashed me a slightly guilty look. "I thought you might have, you know…hurt her."

It was my turn to glare at my sibling. "I wouldn't hurt her." I frowned in thought as Bella's shocked face flashed in my mind once again. I heaved a sigh and felt guilt once again. "Though, I fear I may have scared her. She looked so shocked. It was just on the cheek," I tried to defend my actions.

What Alice said finally registered in my mind. If I had done something as horrible as killing Bella, Alice surely would have had a vision about it. I turned a questioning look to my sister.

"You would have seen me doing something like hurting her. You would have had a vision." As soon as the words left my mouth I saw Alice tense and drop her eyes to the ground, avoiding my gaze. "Alice, what's going on?"

I tried to listen to her thoughts, but all I could hear was her repeating the Star Spangled Banner over and over in her head. "Alice," I growled in warning.

Alice pouted at my tone but met my gaze. "I haven't had any visions of Bella."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since she first arrived I haven't been able to see her like I can other people. Any time she is involved, the vision becomes blurred and distorted."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Alice's eyes looked guilty once again. "Because I knew that my assurances that you would never hurt her were helping you open yourself up to her. If you knew I wasn't having normal visions then all my assurances would have been meaningless to you because they weren't backed up by anything except my faith in you. You never would have given yourself a chance to get to know her; you never would have worked past your fear of hurting her."

I stood abruptly and glared at Alice. "And for good reason, Alice! You were risking her life in pushing me towards her!"

Alice jumped to her feet, her eyes flashing in anger. "You just said you would never hurt her!"

"But you didn't know that in the beginning!"

We both stood there glaring at each other, neither one of us willing to admit we were wrong to be mad. After a few more seconds, our angry masks started to crack and understanding flickered through both of our eyes. We never could stay mad at each other for long. I understood that Alice just wanted me to open up and Alice knew that my anger stemmed from my worry for Bella.

"So you kissed her, huh?" Alice said with a wide grin.

I collapsed back onto the couch and groaned. "I'm an idiot."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Bella)_

Accepting my feelings for Edward as a friend had been difficult, and so I had thought that feeling something more for him would be impossible, but apparently my heart didn't want to listen to my head.

I had gone around in circles, for hours, telling myself that the only reason I was mistaking my feelings of friendship for something romantic was because Edward was the first person I had ever been this close to and that he was undeniably attractive. But my heart was proving to be more stubborn than my head and had eventually convinced me to just accept it.

After hours of intense introspection, I had finally come to terms with my newly discovered emotions. Thinking back on the last few weeks, it became painfully obvious that I had started to develop feelings for Edward.

I was already attached to him because of the friendship that had formed between us, but there were certain key events that hinted at my budding romantic feelings towards him.

Biology class was the major clue. I should have known that my body had responded that way out of sexual attraction and not my Hunter reflexes. I had burst out laughing when I recognized the accelerated heart beat, breathlessness, sweaty palms, and other physical cues for what they really were.

I had always thought Edward was attractive, there really wasn't a way to deny that, but I had always been able to overlook it because I wanted to get to know _him_. I now realized that getting to know him on a deeper level really just made him all the more attractive.

So once it had finally been settled between my head and my heart that I was indeed starting to fall for Edward, I promptly move onto the next problem.

What was I going to do about my feelings?

It was definitely too soon to say I was in love with him or anything- not that I would know anything about what being in love was like, but I was scared enough about the fact that I was starting to feel romantically towards him at all. Edward was fantastic, I knew that, hell, basically everyone knew that, but it still didn't erase the fact that he was a vampire and I was a Hunter.

And that meant a romantic relationship could never work, right? I mean, what would my superiors think?

_As if you have ever given a fuck as to what your superiors think_, an inner-voice pointed out and I had to smirk at the truth of it. I didn't need to figure out how others would react; I needed to figure out how _I_ wanted to handle this.

But how _did_ I want to handle this?

I let out a frustrated groan and hit my pillow with a fist. I hated feeling like this. I hated not knowing what to do.

_I need advice_, I decided.

"Charlie!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Charlie)_

I heaved a sigh when I heard Bella yell my name from her room. I cast a longing look at my TV where I was watching the last quarter of the basketball game before clicking the off button and settling in. I waited patiently as Bella's feet pounded down the staircase. Okay, so she didn't really make much noise, her feet falling lightly on the hard wood, but I knew she was running down the stairs.

She came hurdling into the living room with a wild look in her eyes. It was her classic 'I've started to feel normal teenage things and I don't know how to handle them so you need to help me' look.

_I feel like Dr. Phil. _

She collapsed onto the couch and I waited in silence for her to speak. Whatever was upsetting her this time must have been serious because she was mumbling incoherently to herself. Finally she seemed to have come to a decision and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm falling for Edward," she said quickly.

I successfully kept the smirk from appearing on my face and made sure to look as stoic as possible when she looked at me. In all honesty, I had been expecting something like this to happen. The poor kid had been deprived of normal human contact for far too long….not that the Cullen boy was normal or a human, but he was still the closest thing to a normal bond this Hunter kid had ever experienced.

Based on how quickly the two had formed a bond, it wasn't surprising at all that the bond had moved past friendship and onto a romantic path.

"And?" I prompted.

Bella stared at me in shock before shaking her head and continuing. "You're not shocked?"

I shook my head.

"You're not…mad?"

I let a small smile appear on my face when she asked the question softly. In all honesty, the kid had started to grow on me, and it made me feel good to know that she seemed to care about me enough to care about my opinion on the matter.

"No, I'm not mad," I said kindly. "Why would I be?"

"Uh…I don't know…because he's a vampire and I'm a Hunter?" Bella looked completely confused by the situation and I could see that she was thoroughly freaking out about her discovery. She had wanted me to be mad so that I gave her an excuse to lock away her emotions 'for the good of the mission.' Sadly for her, this was one experience she needed to handle on her own.

I shrugged my shoulders. "You never really get to pick who you fall in love with, it just happens."

Bella frowned, "I didn't say anything about love."

I rolled my eyes and got to my feet.

"I'm not in love with him," Bella argued at my silence.

As I passed by her I rested a hand on her head and ruffled her hair, successfully earning myself one of her glares. "Yet, kid. You're not in love with him, _yet_."

I chuckled quietly to myself when I heard Bella let out a frustrated groan. It was fun having the kid around.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took me soooooo long to update! I hope you guys enjoyed this chpt, i think it was the most difficult one for me to write yet DX

thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story!


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. **

**A/N: ** I am so terribly sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have had some personal stuff going on that has distracted me from my writing but things have settled down now and I should be able to have more consistent updates once again XD Thanks Blue100 for giving me the kick-start i needed to write again.

I think that my chpts will be a little bit shorter than they were previously because i think writing in blocks of 4k is just becoming too difficult. Um, other than that i guess i just wanted to say thanks for sticking with the story. I WILL FINISH the story, i promise. I'm not going to abandon it so don't worry about it being left unfinished. Thanks for the support.

Please review!

ash

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_(Bella)_

I groaned loudly when my alarm went off Monday morning. I hadn't been able to fall asleep until 3 am, my thoughts buzzing around in my head for hours on end. It saddened me to say that even after the hours of torturous analyzing of my thoughts and feelings, I still had no idea how to proceed.

I liked Edward.

Simple enough to admit to myself, but did I want to admit that to Edward? How would he react if I told him? Would this ruin everything between us?

A dull ache clenched around my heart at that thought. I didn't want to lose him. I would rather have him stay my friend and suppress my feelings than push him away by admitting them. But could I lie to him and myself by keeping my feelings hidden? Did I want to?

_God, do all teenagers have such difficulty with feeling like this? This mission just required me to act like a normal teenager, not become one._

I gave an irony-induced chuckle when I thought back to a far simpler time before my life in Forks, I had one mission in life: survive the day so that I would be there the next day to do my job. While true that life had been simpler, I didn't regret my time here at all. As frustrating as feeling….well, _anything_ was, I couldn't wish that I had gone back to an unfeeling robot. All this turmoil was worth it because I had Edward in my life.

_Ew, that was sickeningly sappy. _

I groaned again before forcing myself to get out of bed. I could accept feeling like this, but I would not allow these feelings to turn me into a lovesick fool.

I quickly hopped into the shower and tried to wash away the tension and stress this latest discovery had filled me with. I had no idea that being in lo….like with someone would be so difficult.

_It's only difficult cause you're making it difficult. _

I paused in the process of slipping my sweater on over my head. I slowly pulled it down over my head and stared at myself in the mirror, shocked to see the indecisive look ingrained in my brown eyes. I had never been indecisive before. I had always been confident in my own strength in any situation that I found myself in. So why was I letting this have so much control over me?

I was Bella Swan god dammit! And Bella Swan did not act scared or indecisive. Bella Swan acted with courage and confidence.

My jaw set in a firm line and determination filled my eyes, making them flash with anxious energy. I would tell Edward my feelings. The next time I saw him, I would open my mouth and let the words flow from my mind and heart. From that point on, it would be up to Edward how he wanted to act.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxxXxXxxx**

_(Edward)_

I anxiously watched the clock as the minutes ticked by, wishing that time would slow down. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face Bella yet, but it would be inevitable during school.

Sunday had been difficult to say the least. It was obvious enough the rest of my family had overheard the little argument between Alice and I on Saturday. When I had come out of my room Sunday, Emmet had proceeded to tease me all morning about my "incident" with Bella. Rosalie had glared at me from across the room, eventually dragging Emmet out of the room with a growl and a final glare in my direction.

Carlisle and Esme had been gracious enough to act oblivious and cover their thoughts from me, but the knowing look in Carlisle's eyes and the excited shimmer in Esme's warm ones had been telling. Alice had a wide grin on her face the entire day and Jasper had shot me worry-filled glances every now and then. The stress and anxiety had continued to build the longer I thought about my brash actions the previous day.

I knew it had been cowardly of me to run off, but I hadn't been strong enough to wait and see Bella's reaction. I tried to convince myself that Bella would probably just shrug it off as nothing, but there was that little seed of doubt in the back of my mind making me wonder if she would see the small action for what it was- a symbol of my feelings for her.

I no longer had conflicting emotions about wanting to be with Bella versus trying to protect her from myself, because now I no longer feared her safety in my presence. But, a new fear had settled in me now. What if I admitted my feelings for her and ended up scaring her away?

Unfortunately for me, all the perks of being a vampire- extreme intelligence and my ability to read minds- were useless to me now. It aggravated me to no end that Bella was the one person whose thoughts I couldn't hear when she was the one I wanted to know about the most.

In this situation, all I could rely upon was instinct. I knew Bella well enough to know that I couldn't push her into anything. She was stubborn, almost to a fault, and skittish when it came to interacting with people. As confident as she was in almost every aspect of her life, I could always see the slight anxiety playing in her eyes when she talked about the bonds she had with other people, as if she wasn't sure of herself in her connections with others.

As much as she ragged on the other kids at school, I could always see the subtle warmth that filled her eyes when she poked fun at Eric, Tyler, Mike, and even Jessica. I think the only one she truly disliked was Lauren, but I had heard enough of that girl's thoughts to think that Bella was a good judge of character.

"Hey lover-boy," Emmet's taunting voice sounded through the quiet house, rousing me from my thoughts. "It's time to go to school."

I growled lowly in annoyance and Emmet just laughed his way to the garage. The drive to school was quiet and slightly tense, courtesy of Rosalie, but was over soon enough. When I stepped out of my Volvo, I immediately spotted Bella standing under one of the overhangs, her eyes set on me with some emotion I couldn't quite place.

Alice giggled from beside me when I swallowed nervously and Emmet just smirked before slinging his arm over Rosalie's shoulder and guiding her towards their first class. Jasper's eyes darted nervously back and forth for a second before shoving his hands in his pockets and glided across the parking lot, Alice chasing after him.

My steps were hesitant as I made my way towards Bella, my thoughts a swirling mess that I couldn't sift through. Bella's brown eyes were sparkling as I approached and my nerves settled slightly when I was unable to detect any anger.

_Maybe I was just overreacting…._

I let out a huff of breath, laughing a little at my own melodramatic moment, and let a small smile touch my lips as I finally stepped under the overhang with Bella. My eyes searched Bella's face, trying to figure out how she was going to handle the situation: avoidance or confrontation.

"Hi Edward," her voice was soft with a slight tremble that was barely detectable. Anxiety flooded through me once again, snapping back to thoughts that maybe I had pushed her too far.

I couldn't force my voice out and settled for a small tilt of my head. Bella opened her mouth to speak again, but snapped her jaw shut after a moment of hesitation. Her eyebrows furrowed and her brown eyes flashed in irritation. I'm sure that if my heart were still beating, it would have been pounding loudly.

Bella's eyes were glaring at the ground and I couldn't take the tense silence any longer.

"Bella?"

Her head snapped up and I saw the frustration mixed with sadness in her eyes. "I uh….I need to get to class. I'll see you later, I guess," she said tersely before turning around and striding away.

A sharp pain resonated from where my still heart laid in my chest. I couldn't help but wince as I strode towards the parking lot. I slid back into the driver's seat of my Volvo and quickly texted Alice that I would be skipping school for the day before revving the engine and peeling out of the parking lot.

My hands flexed around the steering wheel as another shot of pain pierced through my chest. The ride home consisted of me berating myself for my stupidity and the niggling thought swirling around in my head that I hadn't felt so mortal in quite a long time.

_One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love. _

I couldn't help but laugh at Sophocles' opinion on love because, in that moment, all I could feel was the crushing weight pushing down on my chest and the bursts of pain pulsing through my long-dead heart.

**XxXxXXXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXXxXxx**

_(Bella)_

I couldn't concentrate at all during my morning classes. Anger and frustration were raging through me and I must have been sending off bad vibes because even Jessica got the hint that I wanted to be left alone.

I thought it would be so simple. I thought I would be able to just greet Edward and then tell him my newly discovered feelings for him, but something had stopped me - that something being the lie hanging over me like an ever-present shadow.

I didn't have the _right_ to tell him about my feelings because he wouldn't be able to respond honestly. If he rejected me, I am almost certain that he would have wanted to remain friends, after the initial awkwardness passed, or at least that's what I hoped. But I didn't even deserve that. He didn't know what he would be choosing. I couldn't even fathom the crushing guilt that would consume me if he for some reason reciprocated my feelings, without knowing the truth. So, I ran away instead, like the coward I had become.

It took me every minute of my morning classes to build up the courage to do what I knew I had to.

My heart started beating rapidly as soon as the lunch bell rang. My feet felt heavy and my thoughts were frantic, coming up with millions of excuses as to why I should back out of this now. But one thought overpowered the others, the fact that Edward deserved to know the truth about me.

As soon as I entered the cafeteria my eyes quickly scanned the room for Edward. I felt a brief decrease in the anxiety thrumming through my body but then I scolded myself for being such a wimp. I needed to stop hiding behind the fear and lame excuses and be honest with Edward, accepting any consequence of my previous betrayal.

I went to sit down at our usual table, bypassing food and deciding to just wait for him to arrive. I was so lost in my thought about different ways this could play out that I didn't even notice he still hadn't arrived until fifteen minutes into lunch. My eyes scanned the room once again, wondering if maybe he had decided to sit somewhere else but I couldn't find him anywhere.

When my gaze fell on the table of the remaining vampires, I could tell something was wrong. The only normal thing I could spot was UberBitch sending my death glares. I studiously ignore her and studied the others. Muscle Man seemed oddly saddened for some reason and I could see a trace of guilt and brotherly concern in his eyes. Quiet One looked slightly relieved for some reason, but also guilty. Pixie looked completely disheartened and looked smaller than ever since her loud, bright personality was dampened.

I wanted to disregard everything I had just seen and just chalk Edward's disappearance up to fate that I wasn't meant to reveal my secret to him but I was through with running away from this. I was sick of guilt always crushing down on me; I was sick of the lies; I was sick of the coward I had become.

Steeling my resolve, I stood and strode over to the remaining Cullens. Rosalie looked incredulous that I would even dare to approach while Emmet just looked amused. Jasper's body grew tense and his eyes grew wary. Alice's eyes flashed between a wide array of emotions: sadness, anger, curiosity, wariness, protectiveness, and guilt. Finally she seemed to settle on curiosity.

"Alice," I greeted and there seemed to be a sudden quiet descend over the lunchroom. "Where's Edward?"

"Don't tell her anything. It's bad enough he fell for some stupid human but her breaking his heart is inexcusable," Rosalie hissed lowly. It took me a second to register what she had actually said and my heart started beating rapidly when I did.

_He fell for me? _

I was shocked and a sudden sense of elation filled me before crushing guilt descended once again. Then the rest of Rosalie's words filtered through.

"What are you talking about, how did I break his heart?"

Rosalie's eyes narrowed and I could now see that it was concern for her brother fueling the vehemence in her voice. "Don't play stupid, you little human, we all heard how you handled him this morning. The entire weekend he has been a bundle of nerves, worrying about how you would react to his display of affection, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I figured you would at least have the strength to reject him properly if you didn't return his feelings. But no, you just…ran and left him thinking that you didn't want anything to do with him ever again. I might not approve of this infatuation he has with you, but he deserves more than your cowardliness," Rosalie's voice dripped with disgust.

My eyes widened in shock for a second before I turned to Alice. The disheartened look she gave me confirmed that I had royally screwed up. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and then turned a pleading look to Alice.

"Alice, I didn't reject him. I lo…like him; I just, I can't accept his feelings because he hasn't made an informed decision."

"What does that mean?" Alice looked at me with confusion.

"I can't tell you, not before I tell him. But I need to tell him the truth. Alice, please, where is he?" I shocked myself with how small my voice sounded.

Alice studied me critically for a second before finally answering. "He went home."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

My truck roared down the secluded road that led to the Cullen house.

_Mansion_….I corrected myself when I pulled into the driveway. I slowly slid out of my truck and took a deep breath before marching my way to the front door.

The resounding knock echoed throughout the vast, silent house. I didn't even have time to lower my hand before the door swung open to reveal a female vampire with rich, brown hair and a motherly affection playing in her eyes. A small smile graced her face and I couldn't help but notice that I had never felt this comfortable in a vampire's presence so quickly.

"Hi, I'm Esme. I'm going to guess that you're Bella," her voice was warm.

"Yeah. I was wondering if I could speak with Edward, it's really important," I knew she could hear the nervous edge to my voice.

"I'm afraid he's gone into the forest. He wanted to alone, but he shouldn't have gone too far. Would you like me to go find him for you?"

I shook my head. "Actually, would you mind just telling me which direction he went? I would like to go find him myself."

Esme's eyes grew slightly concerned. "I'm not so sure it would be best for you to go wandering…"

"I'll be fine, I promise. I just, I really need to speak with Edward," I cut her off.

Esme seemed to consider my words for a moment before nodding her head slightly and pointing a finger towards a small opening in the trees. I said a quick thanks before darting off in the direction she had directed.

Instead of letting my anxiety build, I allowed my Hunter senses to take over as I tracked where Edward had disappeared. I had been following the trail he left behind for just over half an hour when my heart started picking up pace and a shot of adrenaline went through my system. I knew I was no longer alone.

My eyes darted around but I couldn't find Edward in the dark shadows of the trees I took a calming breath to settle my nerves before calling out to him.

"Edward?"

My eyes kept scanning the trees, searching for the vampire. I turned in slow circles, my body pulsing with energy and my Hunter reflexes kicking in under the familiar strain of being stalked, hunted.

"Edward, please, I just want to talk."

A quiet rustling to my left immediately had my eyes zoning in on the dense foliage. I could barely make out the black shadow that stood in contrast to the more muted shadows around it. I forced my body to relax and took a slow step forward.

The shadow detached itself from the dark around it and finally stepped out into the light. My steps faltered to a stop and my heart pumped anxious waves through my body, making my stomach churn.

_Fuck…_


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight. **

**A/N:** Hai! So I tried to get back to everyone but I know i missed a few. So to all of those who reviewed last time and didn't get a response...THANKS!

um, don't have much to say so enjoy...

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_(Bella)_

_Fuck…this cannot be happening!_

I cursed the gods and their cruel sense of humor, because seriously, only some sick sadistic god would decide to throw a bloodthirsty vampire my way when I had something important to do.

I took a few steps back and watched the vampire warily. My mind did a quick catalogue of my surroundings. This wasn't the best place to fight a vampire, but it didn't seem like I would have much of a choice.

I slowly started backing up at an angle, aiming for the large outcrop of rock a few yards behind me that would provide some coverage for my back. The vampire seemed content in just stalking me, his mouth set in a false smile and his crimson eyes flashing with bloodlust.

"Now what's a little girl like you doing out here all by your lonesome?" His voice was deceptively soft and smooth.

Once I had reached the best location for the standoff, I flicked the knife hidden up my sleeve down into the palm of my hand. Unfortunately, I didn't have a gun on me.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance when the vampire started laughing heartily, obviously amused by my actions.

"How adorable," he mused. "It's obvious enough you know what I am. You honestly think that you can fend me off?"

I remained silent, letting him form his own opinions. If he underestimated me, then he would be easier to defeat. My mind settled into a familiar state of analytical calm and my heart rate picked up a little speed, pumping oxygen to all my muscles in preparation.

"You know Laurent, I really thought you were smarter than this."

My eyes snapped to the figure standing on top of a thick branch at the edge of the clearing, his lean body propped against the trunk and his arms crossed over his chest. As soon as my attention was on him, he smirked at me and then jumped down into the clearing.

He casually strode over to the darker vampire's side, his head titled in intrusive curiosity as his eyes roamed over me. I felt a shudder run down my spine when his smirk deepened into a cruel smile.

"What are you talking about James?" The other vampire said with restrained annoyance. I could see the anger in his eyes but he was restraining it, a slight tint of fear flashing through his eyes when he glanced to James at his side. James was the dominant one.

"You remember those two men we killed? The ones that were surprisingly difficult to kill." His eyes stayed on me the entire time he spoke.

I glared at James at how casually he mentioned the death of my fellow Hunters. It had to have been some strange twist of fate that led me to cross paths with the same group of vampires that Lucas had warned me to keep an eye out for.

Laurent cocked his head to the side as he thought. "The Hunters? What about them?"

James smiled widely, his teeth flashing in the sun. "She's one."

Laurent's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes darted back to me. His crimson eyes scanned my body and then he let out a scoff.

"You must be kidding. She's so little and so young. Plus, she smells of a vampire, one of the coven that lives here."

James started walking a slow arc to the left, my body automatically adjusting to keep the most prominent threat in front of me. I kept Laurent in my periphery but James was more dangerous.

"Look at the way her body shifts with every move I make," he taunted as he turned on his heel and redirected his path back the way he had come. "Look at her stance- body relaxed, legs slightly bent and ready to adjust position. Her are eyes constantly trained on the threat in front of her. But most importantly, look at her knife. It's the same make that the other two had."

Laurent watched me carefully, comparing what James had revealed to what his eyes told him. I could still see a small amount of disbelief in his eyes.

I turned my gaze to James. "Well, now that you've got me all figured out, are we gonna do this or not?"

James's eyes simmered with anger at my challenging tone but amusement won out and he grinned at me instead. "So eager to die?"

I let out a small snort, "nope, eager to kill."

"You're too young of a Hunter to be so cocky," he reprimanded as he took a slow step forward.

"Or maybe I'm such a young Hunter because I have a _reason_ to be cocky."

James nodded his head in acquiescence. "Possibly," he mused as he stalked closer. "But I wonder if even a skilled Hunter could take down two vampires with just a knife."

"Who says I only have a knife?"

James chuckled in humor. "Oh come now, you can't possibly think I am so stupid. If you had a gun on you, you would have pulled it out, as your weapon of choice, first. You're at a disadvantage at close range fighting, which means a knife is not the best solution."

_Shit, this guy is too smart. _

Up until that point, I had been blocking the small pulse of fear that was pounding through me. I had taken on multiple vampires at once. In fact, I had killed a group of four vampires by myself once. But James was right. The conditions for then and now weren't even close to being the same.

Last time I had two guns and three knives on me. I also had back up on the way and I had been confident enough to think I could at least hold them off until the back up could arrive. But this time, I was alone. This time, there was one highly intelligent vampire in front of me and all I had to hold him off was a single knife. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't alone.

"I do have a question for you, Hunter," James intoned. "Why _do_ you have the smell of a vampire on you?"

"I recently killed one. What's it to you?" I bluffed.

"Oh, I know that isn't true. The only vampires around here are from a large coven. If you had killed one of them, then the rest of the coven would have killed you out of revenge."

I glared at James but refused to tell him anything. James just stared back at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well are we going to kill her or not? We've spent too much time just standing here talking," Laurent warned James.

James shot an annoyed look at Laurent but stepped closer to me. I shifted more of my weight onto my toes so that I would be ready to move when he attacked. I raised the knife and poised it in front of me.

Suddenly James's head swiveled to the side and a wide grin broke out over his face. I followed his line of eyesight and cursed when a third vampire stepped out into the clearing. It was a female with wild red hair and dirt smudges all over her pale skin. Even with her downtrodden appearance, she was still beautiful.

She glanced at me and then frowned at James. "You should have killed her when you had the chance. There are five vampires on there way here right now. You wasted too much time."

James looked annoyed but smiled at me as he turned away. "It doesn't matter. She'll find us."

"Who says I'll come after you?" I yelled after him as the other two turned to follow.

James paused and turned a sadistic smile on me. "Because it's your job. And, I saw the anger in your eyes when I said we had killed the other two Hunters. You want revenge and I am only too willing to allow you to try and have it. It's so much fun playing with you Hunters," James said with mocking laughter in his voice. "Find me in Seattle. I'll leave you a trail of bodies to follow."

The three left as swiftly as they had come. I wanted to chase after them and tear through James's neck with my knife but I knew it would be best to go back and retrieve more weaponry before I even attempted to take them on. I also needed to notify Lucas that I had spotted them and would be tracking them.

I was about to run back to my car when five more vampires came hurtling into the clearing.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Edward immediately ran towards me and set up a defensive position as the rest spread out and scanned the trees. After a minute, all of them returned with relief in their eyes.

"They're gone," Jasper confirmed.

Edward turned towards me and I was surprised by the angry set of his face. His eyes were storming with rage and I knew concern for my safety was fueling it.

"We'll meet you back at the house," Alice piped up and it only took a moment for me and Edward to be left alone in the quiet clearing.

Edward took a step back from me and I could see his fists clenching at his sides. His eyes scanned the ground and he was trying to reign in his temper.

"Edward, there was something I needed to tell you…"

"Yes, I know. Esme told me you were looking for me and you are extremely lucky that I had returned to the house when I did. Who knows what could have happened to you if I had been even a minute later and we hadn't set out to find you soon enough."

A small bubble of anger swelled in me and I tried to pop it before it could take over my logical side. I needed to remain calm and explain things to Edward slowly so that he could understand.

"I mean, I know you like getting into trouble, but I had hoped that your sense of self-preservation was at least strong enough for you to realize that walking out into this forest was a stupid idea."

I took a calming breath and tried to let his words roll off of me.

_He is acting out of fear. He was scared for my safety. _

"How was I supposed to know that there were a bunch of vampires out here?"

"That is beside the point! I mean look at you!" His eyes shot accusingly to the knife hanging limply in my hand. "Where did you even get that? What were you planning on doing? You honestly thought that you could fight them off?" My jaw clenched when I registered the mocking tone in his voice.

"Well what was I supposed to do?" I near-shouted at him, my temper flaring beyond what I could control. "I wasn't going to go down without a fight!"

"You can't fight vampires, Bella! You should have run, you should have screamed, you should have done anything but think you could fight them. It would have been like a lamb going to slaughter!"

"I am not a little lamb, Edward! The fact that you think so just goes to prove that you know nothing about me." A small voice in my mind tried to get me to shut up, or at least soften my accusing and angered tone. Sadly, my temper had already won and was burning through my veins.

I stalked forward and raised the knife so he could see it better.

"You think I can't fight a vampire? You think I'm stupid for even trying? I'm sorry to tell you Edward but I have killed more vampires than you have probably even met! I am fully capable of taking care of myself! I am not some fragile little lamb!"

Edward stepped backwards as I stalked closer. His face scrunched in a confused frown as his mind attempted to process what I was saying.

"Bella, what do you mean?"

His soft voice washed over me like cold water and cooled my raging anger. I heaved a soft sigh and shook my head, biting my lip as the guilt overwhelmed me.

"I didn't want it to come out like this," I whispered brokenly, shaking my head in denial of how horrible I had screwed everything up.

"Bella, what are you talking about?"

I looked up and memorized Edward's face, his searching, soft amber eyes that roamed over my face. I knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere near me after I revealed my betrayal of his trust.

I opened my mouth and _finally_ let the truth fall from my lips.

"I'm a vampire Hunter."


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight, I just liked putting a new spin on Bella. **

**A/N: ** I know i usually try to send personal responses to reviews but i kinda forgot for last chpt. So I'll thank you all now...THANK YOU!

Hope you guys enjoy! I know it's short, but please don't kill me XD

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_(Bella)_

_"I'm a vampire Hunter…"_

The silence that settled over the clearing was stifling. I watched carefully as Edward's face passed through a wide range of emotions- confusion, disbelief, doubt, anger, sadness. It was torture to watch him struggle for understanding of the betrayal, but I forced myself to confront this head on instead of running away.

"Edward, I'm sor…" I was silenced when Edward lifted his hand, the movement slicing through my words and leaving an eerie quiet in its place. My heart thumped sluggishly in my chest, trying in vain to pump the influx of guilt through my veins. I could feel myself drowning.

Edward shook his head back and forth, in denial, before lifting his eyes to meet mine. I knew before he even asked the question what he was searching for, hoping for, what he _needed_. But I couldn't give it to him; I couldn't feed him another lie.

"This is some sort of perverse joke, right?" His voice held a hint of desperation. I couldn't give him the answer he sought. He must have seen the guilt weighing heavily on my shoulders because his warm eyes turned blank, void, empty. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and cold.

"So what was this?" He asked with a sneer, gesturing in a vicious motion between us. "Was this just your way of killing me without risk of injury?" His voice crackled with anger. "Make me trust you and then stab me in the back? Does the betrayal make the kill better? Don't just end my existence but obliterate me emotionally?"

There was a second of silence after his yelling ceased before a soft sound echoed around us. It took me a moment to realize what it was, but as I lifted my hand to my face and hastily wiped away the tears gliding down my cheeks, I knew it had been me to let out the sob.

"No…" My voice sounded pathetic even to my own ears. "No, that's not why….I mean, it was a mission, to get close to you, to collect information about you and your family, but that isn't why…."

My words were jumbled as I struggled to express myself clearly. I locked eyes with Edward and let every ounce of regret and guilt and anger at myself shine through, hoping that even if he couldn't forgive me, at least he could understand. This time when I spoke, my voice was clear and strong.

"I came to Forks because I was assigned a mission to collect information about a coven of vampires that lived on animal blood. When the Director first explained the mission, I was furious. I hated them for sending me to play watchdog when I could be out there saving people from the horrors I know to exist," I was rushing my words, but I couldn't take the chance that Edward would stop listening to me at any point in time. I had to explain everything.

"That first day in class…I had never seen any vampire react so strongly before. The entire time I was sitting there all I could do was feel respect for the amount of restraint you showed and I found myself wishing that you would be able to hold out, that I wouldn't have to kill you. It was the first time I had ever _not_ wanted to kill a vampire."

I broke eye contact as I flashed back to a few months ago. It suddenly struck me just how much had changed- how much _I_ had changed.

"I used to get so mad at you, you know," I continued with a broken smile on my face. I lifted my eyes back to Edward's and felt relief flood through me when I saw he didn't seem quite so angry now. He looked hurt, and it killed me to know I had been the one to wound him, but maybe now that I was letting the truth out, I could work on fixing all the damage I had caused.

"I used to get so frustrated because you made my mission almost impossible. The longer you stayed away those first few weeks the more desperate I became. I even started considering hurting myself so that I would be taken to the hospital and maybe be able to get an in with Carlisle."

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard," Edward's voice was soft and I could see he hadn't meant for me to hear. His eyes became more guarded, afraid to let me in again.

I nodded my head in agreement and gave a weak laugh. "I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It didn't matter though, because then you came back. That first conversation between us in Biology….I remember feeling so proud of myself because it seemed that I had made you at least intrigued by me. It boosted my confidence and made me believe I could complete the mission. I thought I had taken the first steps towards making you accept me and trust me….but I realize now that it was the complete opposite."

Edward looked confused by my statement and the new revelation shocked even myself.

"I've never had any friends. I've never had someone close to me. I thought it was because I never wanted or needed someone close, but the truth is, no one had ever tried. Hunters are usually independent and solitary by choice, but I was isolated by factors out of my control. I was the youngest Hunter ever produced by the organization. I was adopted when I was just a baby, brought up for the sole purpose of killing vampires. Being a Hunter…it's all I know. All I _knew_," I emphasized, hoping he would understand that he, a vampire, had managed to teach me how to be more human than anyone else ever had. "But you changed that."

"You can't even guess the number of times I went to Charlie for advice, first about the mission, then about my conflicting emotions about you. The first time, I asked him if he had ever not hated a vampire. I needed someone to tell me that it was okay for me to be friends with you, to see you as more than the mission. Charlie did that for me, he alleviated _that_ guilt. But the guilt of keeping the truth from you was still crushing me…"

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you lie to me for so long? Why did you let me fall in lo…" Edward flinched at his own words. The warmth those words caused was fleeting when Edward looked back at me with cold eyes. Any feelings he had for me were nothing but a painful wound for him now.

"I couldn't. I was following orders. It didn't matter how badly I wanted to tell you or how hard I tried to convince the Director to let me reveal the truth, I had strict orders not to."

Edward narrowed his eyes in anger. "I've never known you to be someone who cared about what others thought. But then again, I guess I don't really know you at all."

"Don't say that," I whispered as my eyes watered with tears again.

"Don't say what, Bella," Edward taunted as he stalked forward. "If that's even your real name. Am I supposed to believe that the girl I know as Bella Swan is real? Because it sure as hell seems like she was just a façade you put on to complete your mission. And let me tell you, you are certainly a good actress because you had me fooled, completely."

"It wasn't an act. I'm real," I pleaded with him to understand. He was the only one who had even come close to seeing the real Bella Swan. "The girl you know…she wasn't just some ploy. Everything I told you was the truth….the only thing I ever withheld from you was my identity as a Hunter. You know the _real_ me more than anybody else."

Edward shook his head and I could tell he was rejecting my words. "I don't believe you. I _can't_ believe you. I can't trust you anymore."

Before I had a chance to stop him, Edward ran.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there, looking at the empty space in front of me where Edward had just been standing. I wasn't sure how long I stood there before taunting words echoed through my mind and prompted me to move.

_Find me in Seattle. I'll leave you a trail of bodies to follow._

I don't even remember the walk back to my truck, but soon enough, I found myself sitting in the driver's seat, staring at the large Cullen mansion. I let a few tears run down my face before taking a shaky breath and wiping them from my face. I took a few more deep breaths to calm my nerves and then lifted a steady hand to turn my truck on.

I saw movement in one of the windows and couldn't stop the small surge of hope that flooded through me.

It wasn't Edward.

Alice stared back at me with large sad eyes and the small shake of her head let me know that Edward would not be letting anyone, let alone me, get close to him.

_I'll leave you a trail of bodies to follow._

I quickly backed up and then drove down the long driveway. I might have screwed up things with Edward, but one thing I was sure I could succeed in was taking down that sadistic vampire, James.

I glanced in my rear view mirror as the Cullen home disappeared around the corner. Looking back to the road, I immersed myself in the mindset of a Hunter- Bella Swan was gone.


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. **

**A/N:** Thanks to .XYZ, LizardHelen, GottaLoveFanFiction, harlequin320, Monica111, tinkerbear10, cullensbabymama7, kawaiigrlmari, KessaAnnalese, DrawnToTheNight, narutosonlyfriend, twilightgreensoccerpup6, crimson-goth-girl, fluent-in-sarcasm96, lioowe, janefanatic, water phenix, Scouti, and bumble bee90210 for reviewing! Reviews give us authors such an amazing feeling because it is great to know that your work is appreciated.

Today is such a weird day, summer break starts in two weeks, yet it is raining outside...wtf? haha srry, totally random, i know, but i thought i would share my confusion at the weather patterns.

Now on with the story! XD

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**Chapter 17**

_(Bella)_

As soon as I reached Charlie's, I sprinted into the house and up the stairs. I quickly dialed a number into my phone as I went to my closet and grabbed my black duffel bag.

"Request?"

"This is Swan, identification number 997563, I need to be patched through to the Director immediately."

As I waited to be put through to Lucas, I started packing my duffel with all my weapons. I paused momentarily when I heard a car door slam shut outside. Glancing out my window, I saw that Charlie had come home early.

"Swan, what's going on?" My attention was brought back to the phone call.

"I just had a run in with some not-so-friendly vampires. One of them said he's the one that killed Colt and Greyson. I want permission to go after them."

"Swan, I'm not so sure that is the best idea. The mission you are on now is more important…"

"That mission has been compromised," I cut in with a firm tone.

"What happened?"

"One of them found out I was a Hunter and didn't react too kindly to the information."

"Can you try to salvage the rapport you had going with them?"

I paused in my frantic packing a moment and Edward's hurt face flashed through my mind. I knew there was no way he would even speak with me, but maybe Alice... "Maybe, but definitely not right now. Plus, the bastard that killed Colt and Greyson wants me to go after him."

"That's all the more reason for me not to let you go after him. I don't want you playing some sort of game with this vampire, he's already proven to be a strong adversary."

"I understand that Director, but he said he would leave a trail of bodies for me to follow in Seattle," I snapped out, impatience and frustration coloring my voice as I started to pace the span of my room. "Are there other Hunters closer than me?"

"No…"

"Then it has to be me, Director. We can't just let him kill innocents while you wait to find another Hunter to go after him."

I heard the Director sigh and knew that I had won the argument.

"Fine, but don't do anything reckless. Track him down and take him out if you can but wait for backup if possible. I'll get another Hunter to join you soon."

"Understood sir," I said and was about to hang up.

"And Swan?"

"Yeah sir?"

"Be careful…"

I hesitated briefly at the concerned tone of Lucas's voice. I hadn't heard him speak anything but professionally towards me since I was about ten years old.

"Of course, sir."

Ending the call, I let my eyes wander around the room I had called home for the past few months before zipping my duffel closed. I slung the bag over my shoulder and hurried downstairs, hoping that I could make it out of the house without running into Charlie. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on my side that day.

"Where are you going?"

I paused with my hand on the doorknob and then turned to face Charlie.

_This really was something I had hoped I could avoid…I'm not good at goodbyes._

"I have a new mission that takes priority at the moment."

Charlie studied my closely, his eyes searching my face. "You're coming back after though, right?"

I slid my trademark smirk onto my face and tried to lighten the tense mood. "Why? Gonna miss me?"

Charlie wasn't in the joking mood though because he just continued to watch me carefully. "That wasn't an answer to my question."

"If I complete the mission, then yeah, I'll at least be back to pick up my stuff. Ed…Edward found out the truth, so I'm not so sure I'll be able to do anything else here; he…. kind of hates me," I struggled to keep my voice even but I knew that a trace of the heartache pulsing through me had slipped through.

Charlie's eyes filled with sympathy, "Bella, he'll come around with time."

I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally, not wanting to get my hopes up. "Like I said, if I complete this mission, then I'll be back."

"What's the mission?"

"Elimination job."

"Risk assessment?"

I frowned and dropped my eyes to the floor. I knew Charlie technically wasn't a Hunter anymore so I wasn't supposed to be discussing the details of any new missions with him, but I had formed a bond with him and wanted him to know how much he helped me ever since I got there.

I dropped my bag to the ground and walked over to Charlie. Before he could react, I gave him a hug. I let out an amused snort at how stiff he was and how awkwardly he handled it because his reaction was just so…Charlie. Eventually, he tentatively wrapped his arms around me and sighed.

"That bad, huh?"

I shrugged my shoulders in reply, not wanting to voice my own fears about my chances of survival. I would never admit it out loud, but the fact that James had killed two Hunters already was telling of just how dangerous he was.

"If that's the case, then I'm coming with you."

I withdrew from Charlie's arms and gave him a frown. "You know I can't let you come along. You aren't a Hunter anymore."

Charlie rolled his eyes, "true, but I'm not going to just let you go out there on your own either."

I appreciated the sentiment, I really did, but I couldn't let him risk his life like that. As he turned to grab his jacket, I quickly grabbed his handcuffs off his hip and snapped one around his wrist. As he tried to turn to stop me, I kicked his leg out from beneath him and then clipped the other cuff around his other wrist. I knew he would be able to get himself out of the cuffs eventually, but by the time he got himself free, I would already be gone.

"Bella," Charlie growled as he struggled with his arms cuffed behind his back.

I turned back towards the door and slung my duffel over my shoulder once again. "I'm sorry Charlie, but I can't let you get killed."

"But letting yourself get killed isn't a problem?"

I gave Charlie a half-hearted smirk and then lifted a finger to point at myself. "Hunter, killing vampires is the purpose of my life."

Charlie shook his head and his tone was almost pleading as he spoke. "Bella, come on kid, you are not just a Hunter. You have more to live for than this. I thought you learned that these past few months."

"I did learn to live as a normal teenager and you gave me a glimpse of what a family might act like…but it was just a dream….and now, it's time for me to wake up and go back to reality. And my reality is the fact that I am a Hunter." I turned and opened the door. "Take care of yourself, old man," I called over my shoulder as I shut the door behind me.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

I hadn't left my room since I had come storming into the house after Bella told me about her betrayal. Alice had tried to ask me what was wrong and where Bella was, to which I responded I didn't care. She had continued to throw questions at me, trying to figure out what had happened and eventually I just snapped and yelled at her that Bella had been lying to us-me- the entire time. I ended up forcing her out of my room, not wanting to deal with her, and the rest of the family had seemed to accept the fact that I wanted to be left alone.

I could hear all their thoughts though, and I knew that they were extremely curious and concerned about what had happened between Bella and I. After a few hours, I had calmed down enough to at least go apologize to Alice and let the family know what had happened. I asked them all to gather in the living room and gave Jasper a thankful glance when I felt a wave of calm wash over me.

"I know you are all curious about what happened and I am not exactly sure how to tell you…so I am just going to be blunt." I took a deep breath, "Bella is a vampire Hunter."

There was a wide range of reactions from my family. Emmet burst out laughing, Rosalie looked at me like I was crazy, Alice and Esme looked concerned about me, while Carlisle and Jasper just looked thoughtful.

"That's a good one, Edward," Emmet said with humor in his voice. "Not only is it unbelievable that there is such a thing as a vampire hunter, but you honestly expect us to believe that Bella, little Bella, is one? That's hilarious man."

"I can't say I am entirely surprised," Jasper mused and I could hear him putting all the pieces together about things he had noticed about Bella.

Emmet's good humor sobered up immediately as he turned to Jasper. "Dude, there is no such thing as a vampire hunter."

Carlisle sighed and stared at his hands. He had been hoping he could shield his family from some of the nastier things in this life. "They do exist, Emmet. In fact, there has been a war of sorts going on between Hunters and vampires for centuries now. There are a lot of intricacies in Hunter-vampire relations."

_I never thought they would include such a young one in this battle though…_ Carlisle's saddened thought filtered through.

"I knew getting close to her was just asking for trouble. I warned you, Edward, not to get involved with a human and now we find out its even worse than we originally thought? Was she just waiting for our guard to be down so she could try to kill us all?" Rosalie fumed.

A wave of protectiveness washed over me and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself defending Bella. "No, of course not. She said she was just here to observe us, to learn about how we survive on animal blood."

"Right," Rosalie said, sarcasm weighing heavily in her tone. "Cause she obviously wouldn't lie about her motives."

I remained silent, unable to pick up the pieces of my trust that had come crumbling down ever since Bella had revealed the truth. It was still just too much to try to comprehend.

"I don't think Bella was ever a threat to us," Alice piped up, but I couldn't return the supportive smile she was giving me.

"Yeah, but you also said you couldn't have any visions about her either," Rosalie said with a sneer.

"I never picked up any hostile feelings from her…" Jasper offered. I was surprised her was trying to defend Bella, because I knew how protective he was of the family.

Rosalie opened her mouth to make another derisive comment about Bella when we all heard a car making its way up the driveway. We listened as the car was parked and then a door was slammed shut. I was surprised to hear the worried jumbled state of Charlie Swan's mind. When an insistent knock resounded throughout the house, Esme went to answer the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," he greeted hastily. "I am very sorry to disturb you at the late hour, but…."

The only warning we had before everything turned to chaos was an angry growl coming from Rosalie. No one could stop her as she sprinted towards Charlie with anger in her eyes. All we saw was a flash of movement before an angry hiss fell from her lips and she staggered backwards, clutching her arm.

When I turned my eyes to Charlie, I saw him crouched in a defensive pose with a large knife in hand, his eyes darting around, keeping track of all of us.

"So you are one too then," Rosalie hissed at him. "A Hunter."

Charlie's eyes softened a little and I could see guilt in his eyes. "A retired Hunter, yes. I didn't mean to harm you, I am sorry, but I can't die just yet. There are still things left to accomplish."

Rosalie stalked towards him again and dropped her hand. We were all surprised to see that the long slash on her arm was not healing as fast as it should. "What, like kill more vampires?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, I don't do that anymore….well, I don't _want_ to do that anymore, but I will if necessary. Right now, I just want to know if you have seen Bella in the last few hours."

"No, we haven't," I called out. "I think she knows she isn't welcome here."

Charlie's shoulders slumped in defeat as he let out a soft swear. "I thought she would have tried to talk to you…"

"I don't want to talk to her," I cut in.

Charlie gave me a severe look, "yeah well, guess you don't have to worry about that because she left." Charlie stood up straighter and slid the knife back up his sleeve where I guess he had been hiding it.

"So she just ran away?" I felt betrayed again by the fact that she hadn't even tried to talk with me again. I knew it was unfair of me to be mad at her for leaving, especially when I hadn't been to willing to listen to her explanation earlier, but I was still hurt by the fact that she seemed to care so little as to not try again.

When Charlie continued, his voice was filled with anger, sadness, and fear. "No, Edward, she didn't run away. She left on a new mission." I felt a chill run through me as he continued. "And I am not too confident that she is going to make it back here alive."


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. **

**A/N:** Alright, I think I responded to most of you guys that reviewed, but there are a few of you that have reply pm blocked so if you didn't get a response, then THANK YOU!

200 Reviews? XD wow, you guys are awesome!

Also, thanks to everyone who has added this to their alert list, I think it's up to around 160 now, same with the fave lists, which is so exciting!

Finals are starting again and then I am going to my brother's graduation, so next update prob won't be for about two weeks. But then it's summer and I fully intend on finishing this story before summer is over...and hopefully start the sequel. Yes, there will be a sequel XD hopefully some of you guys stick with me and read it too!

now on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 18**

_(Edward)_

All of my previous anger at Bella evaporated into thin air, because as much as I was hurt by what she had done, I still couldn't imagine this world without her.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a panicked voice as I moved towards Charlie.

"She's been sent on an elimination mission, which always has its risks, but this time…. I think it's more dangerous than usual."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because when I asked her about the risk assessment she basically said goodbye to me. Now I might not have known the kid for long, but I do know her well enough to know that she is an incredibly confident Hunter with the skills to back it up. If she's scared that she might not survive, then there has to be a legitimate reason for it."

"And you just let her go alone?" I asked, incredulous that he would leave her to this task alone.

"Of course not," Charlie snapped back. "She handcuffed me when I turned to grab my jacket and then left. I don't know where she is going. I was hoping that she would have come by here, but apparently she thinks you couldn't care less about her."

"We couldn't," Rosalie interjected and caused Charlie's gaze to swing back to her.

"I understand that you think you can hate us because we are Hunters, and that is fine. We kill your kind, you have a right to be mad…but not at Bella. The rest of us Hunters, sure, be pissed off to your dead-heart's content, but Bella never had a say in the matter. She didn't _choose_ to become a Hunter, she was chosen. She had her freedom taken from her when she was barely a year old, so don't go blaming her for things outside of her control. The life of a Hunter is all she ever knew until she came here."

I could immediately tell that Charlie's choice of words had affected Rosalie. Rosalie still had lingering resentment towards Carlisle for choosing a life of a vampire for her and hearing that Bella's life had been chosen for her struck a chord in her. She definitely would not like Bella anytime soon, if at all, but now all her anger seemed to be focused on Charlie instead of Bella.

I was silent along with the rest of my family. Guilt immediately overwhelmed me and I regretted my hasty decision in running away when she was trying to explain things to me. I hadn't taken the time to consider the effect that being raised that way would have had on her, I just thought she had chosen to betray me.

But now, I realized that, in a way, just the fact that she even considered telling me the truth when ordered not to would have turned her entire world upside down. I couldn't believe I didn't talk things through and had just abandoned her.

_Stop it with the guilt-trip and focus on how you can help her now. _ I glanced towards Jasper and nodded my head.

"This mission has to be related to those vampires we chased off. There is no way it could be just coincidence that she gets assigned a new mission right after encountering three vampires."

"She ran into other vampires?" Charlie asked, hopeful that now they at least had something to go off of.

"Yeah, there were three of them but they ran away when we approached."

I looked towards Alice, "can you try to get a read on them?"

Alice nodded her head, "I'll try but if she is going after them then I might not be able to get anything. Like I said before, I can't get any visions about Bella." She turned to look curiously at Charlie. "Speaking of not getting visions, I can't get anything on you either."

Charlie nodded and slipped his knife back out to twirl it in his fingers briefly. "Hunter weapons have the added perk of blocking some of those extra vampire abilities."

"How?" Emmet asked, seemingly over his shock and now more curious than anything else.

"It doesn't matter right now. We need to focus on how to find Bella," I fumed as I started pacing.

"We could go back to the clearing and start tracking them," Jasper suggested and I immediately headed towards the front door.

"Wait," Charlie called out and followed me outside. "Take my phone number, call me if you find out where she is going and I'll meet you there." I quickly pulled out my phone and added his number before sprinting off to the place I had last seen Bella. I turned my head to find Alice, Jasper, Emmet, and Carlisle running beside me.

"You are an idiot if you think we would just let you go alone," Alice said as Jasper and Emmet nodded in agreement.

All of them cared about my safety but they each had other personal reasons for joining me. Carlisle also wanted to help Bella because he felt she was too young to be exposed to this kind of world. Alice wanted to help Bella because she knew how much I cared about her. Jasper knew I cared about her, but the deciding factor in him tagging along was because he knew how much this meant to Alice. Emmet just seemed interested in learning more about 'this crazy-ass Hunter business.'

_Esme wanted to come, but felt someone should stay with Rosalie so that she didn't feel we were all turning against her._ I acknowledged Carlisle's words with a nod, showing him that I would never think badly of Esme.

We reached the clearing and sought out the trail the other vampires had left behind. Before I could take off again, I turned to Alice when she slipped into a vision.

"What was it?"

"I saw the three of them enter a city and then one of them disappears while the other two continued on north."

"What do you mean one disappears?"

Alice shot me a sympathetic look, "I think he's going after Bella."

I immediately shot off into the forest, following the scent trail. I only found myself wishing I could run faster.

**XxXxXxXxXxXXxXXxXxX**

_(Bella)_

As soon as I had reached Seattle, I had immediately started tracking the vampires. I had been able to follow them to Seattle quickly and as much as I wished it wasn't true, I really wouldn't have any way of finding them unless they killed someone. I walked around the bars, alleys, strip-joints, all the typical places that vampires found their victims but hadn't heard a single whisper about possible run-ins.

I had been in Seattle for three hours with no leads and I was getting increasingly frustrated. If I didn't find them in a few hours I would have to head back to my truck and sleep while the sun was up and they would be hiding inside somewhere.

My eyes scanned the alley I was walking down and halted on a crumpled form in the corner. Approaching warily, I called out but didn't receive a response. I reached out to roll the person over and swore when I saw that it was a drug addict about my age. I knew it was the work of vampires and based on the fact that her body was still slightly warm, I could tell it was a fresh kill, within the past few hours.

Something on the wall above the body caught my eye and I felt anger rush through me when I realized it was an arrow, drawn in the girl's blood. Underneath the arrow was the message, _I'm waiting._

I stalked off in the direction the arrow pointed and found another arrow pointing me onwards. I followed them for twenty minutes before a final arrow pointed to a large warehouse that had an _X_ on its door.

Walking around the perimeter of the warehouse, I mapped out the exits I could see. I quickly sent Lucas a message that I had determined their location and he sent a response telling me to wait. Another Hunter was en-route to my location and should be there within the hour. I decided to wait resting with my back against the wall of the building adjacent to the warehouse where I could keep an eye on two of the three possible exits.

I had been standing there for about twenty minutes when I heard an ear piercing scream come from inside the warehouse. Knowing I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, I quickly checked my weapons and readied myself to enter.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The warehouse was silent as I entered. There was dim light casting shadows over the near-empty space. There were chains hanging from the ceilings and the remains of some large metal machines scattered around.

I stayed close to the wall as I slowly made my way around the inside perimeter, making sure that my back was never exposed. My pace quickened when I heard pain-filled whimpers coming from the far corner. I knew I was walking into a trap, but I couldn't just leave someone to die, so I continued moving forward.

When I reached the far corner, I found a girl hanging from the chains, weakly struggling to get her wrists loose. I scanned the area and then rushed forward. The girl screamed in fright.

"Shh, calm down, I'm here to help." The girl eyed me warily, but let me get to work at trying to free her.

"How many of them are there?"

"Just a pale guy with long hair."

"You're sure it was _just_ him?"

The girl nodded as I freed her from the chains.

"Alright, listen to me, I'm going to get you out of here but I need you to remain calm and do what I tell you."

The girl stared at me with huge eyes but managed a shaky nod. I pulled out my gun and waved her towards the wall.

"Stay behind me."

I put her in between the wall and myself and kept my gun trained on the shadowed area in front of me. We made it a few meters away from the door when I heard the clink of moving chains off to the left and then a dark chuckle reverberating in the quiet.

"Run!"

The girl sprinted for the door and I back-pedaled, keeping my eyes scanning the darkness. I heard the door open and a relieved 'we made it,' before I heard the door slam shut again.

I swerved around and came face to face with James. I could hear the girl screaming out for me from outside and I yelled for her to keep running. After a few weak protests, the girl left.

"I'm surprised you let her go," I said as I put a few meters between myself and the sick creep and kept my gun pointed straight at his chest.

James just shrugged his shoulders and walked forward at a casual pace. "This was never about her. She was just a lure to get you in here before your back-up arrives."

"My back-up is only ten minutes away," I bluffed, not sure just how far away my back-up was. "Not as if I'll need them though, I'm pretty sure I can take care of a pathetic weakling like you."

James didn't rise to the verbal jab like I had hoped and remained in control of his emotions. I needed to try and throw him off his game somehow or else I was in trouble.

"Is that right?"

"Sure, I mean, you like to think your some big, badass vampire because you've killed a few Hunters, but you didn't do that alone now did you? No, you had help from those two other vampires, and now, the one time you try to take on a Hunter by yourself, you pick one you think is green."

James smiled in amusement, "oh don't worry, I definitely do not think you are inexperienced. I can tell that you are extremely skilled and _that_ is the reason why killing you by myself will be such an amazing thrill."

"If you know that I'm skilled, then why are you so cocky in assuming that you could kill me?"

James grinned at me and reached to the side. His hand curled around a chain hanging there and I could see laughter in his eyes.

"Because, I never said I would play fair," he said as he pulled on the metal chain.

I only had time to get one shot off before trying to dodge the large pieces of metal that came crashing down right where I had been standing. I cried out in pain as one piece smashed into my arm, breaking it with a sickening snap.

I took a small amount of satisfaction in the angered howl coming from James as he clutched at his arm. It might not have been the chest shot I was hoping for, but I felt reassured that I had at least hit him. Now I just hoped I could stay alive long enough for the flakes of werewolf claw- I was lucky Charlie had taken it upon himself to teach me about the intricacies of how Hunter weapons worked- flowing through James to take effect.

Looking into his enraged eyes, I had a feeling that the cost of staying alive was going to be an extreme amount of pain.

_Oh joy…._


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. **

**A/N:** bleh, so noticed some small mistakes that were just really bugging me so I reposted this chpt with them fixed. Nothing else really changed.

On with the fight!

* * *

**Chapter 19**

_(Bella)_

I hastily retreated to a corner of the warehouse, making sure that my back was completely covered. James pursued me and I could see that the bullet had lodged itself in his arm. That was a much better situation than if it had passed straight through because now the venom in his body would be trying to break down the bullet, which would just cause more werewolf claw to break off and start circulating through him.

I raised my gun and James's survival instincts seemed to have kicked in because in the next second he had retreated into the darkness. I tried to even out my breathing so I could listen to the smallest sounds while my eyes were constantly scanning the shadows.

Running my fingers gently over my hurt arm, I let out a sigh of relief when I determined that it was just fractured and not completely broken like I had previously assumed. I slowly tried to move the fingers on my fractured arm and found that while it hurt like a bitch to do it, I could still use my arm.

Looking around, I knew that unless I got some light in this place then I would be at an even larger disadvantage. James could see me easily whereas the darkness made it near-impossible for me to determine his location. Quickly moving along the edge of the wall, I managed to find one of the large blacked out windows and hit it with the butt of my gun, effectively shattering it. I huffed in anger when I saw that it was still dark out but knew that in an hour or so the sky would start to lighten as the sun rose, and I would get some light in this hellhole.

I kept moving along the edge of the wall, searching for a light switch. There was a faint rustle of cloth and I immediately stilled. Feeling a slight gust of air, I managed to dive out of the way as James came hurtling through the air from above me. I cursed as I landed on my broken arm and tried to push through the pain as I raised my other arm to take a shot at James.

He dodged out of the way and leapt towards me again. Before I could get another shot off, he kicked me roughly in the stomach and sent me flying towards the far wall. All the air rushed from my lungs as I slammed into the hard surface. Sharp pain danced through my body when I gasped for air and I knew that at least two of my ribs were broken. James was approaching once again and before he could reach me I took another shot and grazed his leg. I heard a low hiss as he retreated into the shadows once again.

I smirked at the thought that James was actually somewhat of a coward, always running away to try and jump out at me from the darkness. Wincing in pain, I slowly pushed myself into a standing position, using the wall as support.

_Cowardly he might be, but that doesn't mean his fighting technique isn't effective. _

I took shallow breaths as I took a second to reorganize my thoughts. I really needed to find some cover. The wall might protect my back but James was attacking from above too and god knows I couldn't continue on fighting him like this because even though I might be causing him some damage, he would surely kill me before all my graze shots managed to kill him.

The best option would have been if I could get up to the catwalks so that James couldn't attack me from above anymore. But I knew that would be impossible because of my fractured arm and it would leave me completely exposed while I was trying to climb the ladder.

Another option was to leave the warehouse and try to draw James outside. But thinking back to my preliminary scan of the area before I entered, I knew that there wasn't really anyplace to take up a defensive position.

Option number three was to go back to the corner of the warehouse where the girl had been tied up. It was the only place with light. Although the area didn't really have anyplace to take cover, that would also mean no place for James to hide.

If I could draw him out into the open then I might be able to get a clear shot and end his pathetic existence once and for all. Not really having any better options at the moment, I started to make my way back towards the lighted corner.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Edward)_

We had determined after about an hour of tracking that they had to have been headed towards Seattle. I had called Charlie to let him know where we were going and he agreed to call us when he arrived so we could regroup.

It took us just under an hour to reach Seattle and I quickly set out to find any trace of Bella or the vampire Alice had seen in her vision. It was agonizing, futilely running around the city, listening to thoughts and getting no closer to finding Bella.

After an hour of no real leads, Charlie arrived and immediately told us we needed to look in the grimier areas of Seattle. He took us to dark alleys filled with drug addicts, prostitutes, and the homeless.

"Anything?" Alice asked from beside me with a tinge of hope in her voice. I shook my head in frustration and started to stalk back towards the open street when a brief, flickering thought caught my attention.

_That girl has totally lost it. Monsters and little girls with guns? She's fucking nuts. _

I saw a flash of a run-down girl with blonde hair running around trying to find someone to help her. She had tears running down her face and was rambling about how this monster had kidnapped her and then she had been save by a girl wielding a gun. I could see that no one had believed her because she looked like she was strung out on drugs.

Waving to get everyone's attention, the rest of the group followed after me as I walked hastily towards the last place the girl had been seen. I found her, slouched against a wall, sitting in a puddle with her head in her hands and soft mumbles coming through her lips.

"Why won't anyone help…she needs help…that guy….she saved me….needs help…."

I motioned for Alice to approach the girl because she seemed terrified and Alice would be a far less intimidating sight than the rest of us. Alice knelt down next to the girl and spoke to her in a soft calming voice.

"Hi there, someone told us that you might have some information about our friend."

The girl looked up at Alice with tear-filled eyes before they flickered to the rest of us and she shrunk back a little.

_Move back._

I nodded my head towards the opening of the alley and everyone followed, leaving Alice to handle the frightened girl. I listened to the girl's thoughts and as soon as the image of an old warehouse flickered to the front of her mind, I was off.

I could hear the rest of my family yelling after me, but at this point, I didn't dare slow down for a second. There was a coil of dread spreading through me and I could just feel that Bella was in serious trouble.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_(Bella)_

I had made it to the lighted corner without any further attacks from James, but I knew he was watching me carefully. I could _feel_ his eyes on me. I once again positioned myself so that my back was covered and I could see the catwalks above me.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, you sick fucker," I growled out, trying to taunt him into a reaction. I really should have known better because James took the hunt seriously and would do everything in his power to accomplish his goal- _kill me_. He wouldn't let his emotions take over, he would hide, wait for my defenses to be down, and then strike.

I was halfway considering to just wait him out because I knew that the werewolf claw would just weaken him the more time that passed, but my body was starting to give up on me. I could feel my energy seeping out.

Surprisingly, I hadn't lost any blood yet, just broken or fractured quite a few bones and received some large ass bruises. I knew I didn't have much more time before my adrenaline gave way to some serious exhaustion.

_Now or never I guess._

I slid the knife on my hip out of its sheath and quickly sliced through my arm before returning it to my hip. Warm liquid welled to the surface and I could smell the familiar metallic tang of blood. Within a moment of the first drop of crimson liquid splashing to the ground James came hurtling through the air to land with a loud thud a few yards away.

His eyes were crazed, pupils dilated and nostrils flaring as the scent of my blood overwhelmed him. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh, as if he was getting high off the smell alone. His eyes slid shut like he was in a trance and I quickly took aim with my gun while his guard was down.

His eyes snapped open as a _click_ resounded through the warehouse and I cursed myself for not making sure I had ammo in my gun. James grinned cruelly at me and stalked forward.

I dropped my gun to the side, knowing I would never have enough time to reload it and grabbed my knife once again. I watched James carefully, taking in every movement of his body, much the same as the times I sparred with Charlie, except this time the consequence of losing this match was death, not just a gloating ex-Hunter.

The small flexing of his right leg had me ducking to the left as he launched himself at me. I swung my hand around and tried to plunge my knife into his exposed neck. James managed to rotate his body in the air and caught my wrist in his steel-like grip, stopping the blade just centimeters from his neck.

My body was slammed into the wall and James trapped my arm with the knife in between our bodies. He grinned triumphantly at me. He adjusted his hand and curled his hand over mine. James moved back just enough to guide my hand towards my neck and I swallowed nervously as he forced my knife closer to my own neck.

I bit back a yelp as he pushed the knife to my skin and dragged my hand slowly sideways, slicing through my skin and allowing a thin line of blood to start trickling down the side of my neck. A shiver of fear ran through me when he leaned in and inhaled deeply before I could steady my emotions. I tried not to wince as I slowly move my fractured arm towards the other knife behind my back.

"You do smell incredibly delicious. I think my favorite part about killing you Hunters is that for some reason your blood is so much better than other humans." James leaned back just enough for me to be able to see his face, confident, sadistic grin stretching across it.

"And you will be the sweetest blood I have ever had because I truly have enjoyed this little hunt. It really was a thrill…"

I smiled mockingly at James and he seemed taken aback, clearly expecting my to have been begging for my life at this point.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to play with your food?" I asked mockingly before forcing my fractured arm upwards, plunging my second knife into his side and jerking it to the side, causing as much damage as I could.

James fell to his knees with a howl of pain and my knife went with him. He clutched his side and yanked the knife out with a hiss of anger.

"Cause you never know when your food might fight back."

I raised my other arm and sliced through his neck, registering somewhere in the back of my mind that a sharp pain had just shot through my side. I continued hacking away through his neck until I had completely separated his head from the rest of his body. As soon as that was done, I stumbled away from the corpse and watched as it twitched and gave out the odd spasm.

I breathed heavily as I leaned against the wall and knew that I needed to find some way to get a fire started in order to burn the corpse. Wearily, I pushed myself off the wall and managed to get five steps before I collapsed heavily to the ground.

I frowned in annoyance, wondering why my body wasn't listening to my brain. I tried to ignore the dull throb of pain clawing at the edges of my conscience, but the dull throb pulsed and grew in strength until it was nearly blinding.

My fingers went to my side where most of the pain was coming from and I felt something warm trickle down my fingers. Bringing my hand closer to my face I could see it were covered in blood. A buzzing noise filled my head and the edges of my vision started going black.

I vaguely realized that I could see the impossibly red color of my blood and wondered when it had become bright enough for me to see more than the dark shadows of the warehouse. My eyes flickered towards the light and I saw a dark shadow moving towards me. I snorted in humor that my mind had actually conjured up an image of Death stalking closer to me.

_Hmmm, not quite as intimidating as Death should be,_ I thought when Death looked like a strangely familiar silhouette. The shadow moved quickly and was soon at my side. _Oh…_

A cough racked through my body and I could see a small splatter of blood hacked up. I let my head fall back to the hard cement and gazed up into the worried face of Edward. I had the strange impulse to reach up and smooth out the worry lines on his face, but my body wouldn't move. So instead I settled for a small smirk.

"I told you I wasn't some little lamb," I said teasingly with a weak laugh, but Edward didn't seem to find it as funny as I did.

_The boy seriously needs to relax a little…_ was my last fleeting thought before the darkness swallowed me.


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight, I just made Bella not so whiny XD**

**A/N: **I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all my wonderful readers/reviewers. You guys are so AWESOME and I love you all tremendously for all the support you guys have given me during my initiation into the world of fanfic :)

small warning, part of this chpt is in third person so don't get too confused, I just felt like it was the best way to write that scene.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

_(Bella)_

The first thing I registered was the annoying, obnoxious _beep_ that accosted my pounding head. The next thing I registered through the haze in my mind was the pain.

A. Lot. Of. Fucking. Pain.

My body shifted restlessly in an attempt to find a more comfortable position, but nothing was working. A sharp gasp left my mouth when I turned a little too far to the left and a sharp ache flashed through my body, jolting my mind awake. I tried to open my eyes but quickly let them fall shut when searing white light burned through my brain. I took a second to consider just going back to sleep but then a voice grabbed my attention.

"Bella?"

"Edward?" I weakly opened my eyes and sought out his face. "Wh…What are you doing here?"

I tried to shift myself into a sitting position and sent Edward a brief glance of thanks when he helped me maneuver the pillows to rest against. He handed me a cup with a straw in it and I eagerly took a few sips of cool water, quenching the burning ache in my throat.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I can't just let you lay here all by yourself, I remember quite clearly just how much you disliked hospitals." Edward's tone was feigned humor.

I remembered the worry-filled look he gave me before I lost consciousness and I wasn't sure if he was here out of some misplaced guilt or if he was here because he wanted to be.

"Yeah, but I thought you kind of hated me…"

Edward shook his head and gave me a tender smile, a light warmth filling his eyes for the moment. His hand wrapped around mine and the cool touch felt comforting. "No, Bella. I don't hate you. Quite the opposite actually and I am terribly sorry for how I reacted before. I was irrational and petty and I hope you can forgive me."

I quirked my lips and rose an eyebrow in joking question. "Shouldn't I be the one asking for forgiveness?"

Edward didn't answer and instead just gave me a look that made me believe everything was okay between us.

"What exactly happened? I mean, I remember killing James and I saw you there, but then I passed out…"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_ "I told you I wasn't some little lamb…." Edward stared forlornly down at Bella and was frozen in fear when her eyes went unfocused as she lost consciousness._

"_Bella?" The burning ache in his throat was worse than he had ever felt as the smell of her blood washed over him. "Bella, please, you can't do this to me, wake up!" His hands hovered above her body, uncertain of what to do or how to help. _

"_Carlisle!" _

_Carlisle was there in the next moment, along with the rest of his family. Jasper immediately backed away and went to stand by the entrance of the warehouse so he could smell air that wasn't thick with the scent of Bella's blood. Alice and Emmet hastily started a fire and finished the task of disposing of James's body. Edward watched uselessly as Carlisle got to work on Bella's battered body. _

"_Is she going to be alright?" Edward gasped out, afraid to hear the answer, yet desperate with the need to know. _

_Carlisle's hand worked quickly as he assessed the damage and he yelled out to Alice to call an ambulance. He pulled off his over-shirt and tore it into strips, securing a few pieces tightly around Bella's abdomen. _

"_Carlisle…" Edward pressed for an answer. _

_Carlisle raised his eyes and met Edward's worried gaze evenly. _

"_She's taken a lot of damage, but the most threatening injury is this knife wound because she was losing a lot of blood. But I've managed to slow down blood flow, so she should be fine, Edward. We just need to get her to a hospital." _

_There were a few moments of quiet where Edward just sat and listened to Bella's fast but strong heartbeat, trusting in Carlisle's skills to keep her alive. Everyone was so distracted by or distraught over Bella's condition that they failed to notice the other heartbeats that had entered the warehouse from a different door. _

"_Step away from the girl," a cold voice broke the quiet. The members of the Cullen family all looked shocked by the appearance of two tall men a few yards away from them. They were even more shocked to see the four guns pointed at them. _

"_I told you, step away from the girl." _

_Carlisle managed to snap out of his shock faster than the rest of the family and spoke calmly as he replied. "I cannot comply. This girl will die if I do not keep applying pressure. She has a stab wound and she will bleed out if I don't stay here." _

_The two men completely ignored Carlisle. "I won't tell you again, vampire, step away from the girl." _

_Edward was about to attack the men who were threatening Bella's survival with their stupidity when a third voice stopped him from moving. _

"_I thought I trained you better than this, Pierce," Charlie stated from behind the two Hunters as he moved closer so they could feel the press of the guns aimed right at their heads. "You're awareness of your surroundings is horrendous, not to mention your assessment of the situation." _

_The Hunter that had been speaking before looked completely surprised but neither of them lowered their weapons. _

"_Rathbone?"_

_Charlie smirked at the mention of his prior identity. "Yeah Pierce, now I suggest you and your partner lower your guns and let the nice Doctor continue his work without harassment." _

"_Rathbone, he's a vampire! He'll kill her," he grounded out in irritation. _

_Charlie snorted in amusement. "Take a closer look at the picture, Pierce. Who is the girl?" _

_The Hunter took a moment to study Bella's face and finally recognized her. "Swan!"_

"_Correct, now did the Director tell you about her current assignment?"_

_There was a small nod. "Yeah, he said something about her trying to gather some information on animal-suckers." _

"_Right, now look at their eyes and tell me what is different," Charlie continued leading the younger Hunter towards the correct conclusion like a patient teacher would a young child._

"_They aren't red." _

"_Mmhmm, and now look at the situation again. Do you actually think he is trying to kill her? And do you think it's a good idea to ask him to step away from Swan?"_

_The Hunter sighed and shook his head as he finally lowered his weapons. "No, sir." _

_Charlie gave a small smile to the man and then directed his gaze to the other Hunter who had remained silent and still had his guns pointed at Emmet and Jasper. _

"_You too, son." _

_The Hunter's face remained stoic but he shot a look to his partner. _

"_Do it, West. If Rathbone trusts them, then they aren't a threat." _

_The partner looked apprehensive but after a tension-filled moment, he lowered his guns as well. _

_Charlie sighed in relief at having avoided a messy situation and slipped his guns back into their hiding places on his body. As soon as he felt the threat had been dealt with he ran over to join Carlisle and Edward at Bella's side. _

_The other Hunters approached more slowly and watched the Cullen family warily. Pierce cringed when he took in the sight of Bella and hoped that she would be alright. He had heard about her feats as a Hunter- pretty much everyone had- and he respected her skill tremendously. _

"_Is…is she gonna be alright?" He asked softly. _

_Just then, Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens heard the faint sound of sirens and knew that the ambulance would soon be there. Edward's tense body relaxed the tiniest bit when he heard Carlisle's reassuring thoughts. _

"_Yeah, she's going to be fine." _

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I knew I must have looked shocked when Edward recounted how my backup had arrived in time to almost kill the good guys, but I breathed easy once he assured me everything had turned out fine. I felt strangely proud of the fact that Charlie was still skilled enough to manage sneaking up on active Hunters.

"Wow…sounds like you had an exciting time."

Edward's lips quirked in a wry smile, but no humor reached his eyes. He had been holding my hand the entire time he spoke and I felt the cool touch of his thumb settle over the pulse point on my wrist. I gently leaned my head back and let my heavy eyelids drop closed, content to let Edward sort out his thoughts for the moment.

"Bella…"

Hearing the pure concern laced with a heavy dose of self-hatred, I knew that his thoughts had settled on something completely mistaken. Clearly he was feeling guilty.

"Stop," I groaned out while opening my eyes and leveling Edward with a glare. Edward's hand dropped from mine as he leaned back in the chair, the anger at himself bubbling just below the surface of his worried, near-black eyes.

"Bella, I'm sorr…"

"Stop," I repeated once again.

"Bella, I…."

"Edward," I snapped and he finally fell quiet. I observed him for a moment and was pissed when I finally realized how terrible he looked. There were large, dark circles under his eyes and his skin was even more pale than usual.

_I didn't even know a person, or vampire for that matter, could be that pale._

"What was the last thing I said to you?"

Edward winced at my question, probably picturing me in the condition I had been in- bleeding profusely and seriously injured- but after a second he met my eyes and answered in a steady voice.

"You said that you weren't some little lamb."

I nodded my head slowly. "Indeed I did. And do you agree with that statement?" I asked in a carefully neutral voice.

Edward eyes scanned my body, taking in every bandage, every machine hooked up to me, every bruise, his eyes becoming more solemn with each passing second.

"I don't think that is what's important right now."

"It's a simple question, Edward. You either agree or disagree. Do you think I am some weak little lamb?" I could hear the hard edge starting to creep into my voice and tried to remain calm. I knew one of us needed to remain in control of their emotions or this conversation would be disastrous for the both of us.

Edward shot to his feet and started to restlessly pace beside my bed. "Of course I don't! You managed to do something that I never even thought possible. I mean, even vampires avoid fighting because we are very well aware of the risk to survival, yet you, a headstrong, easily-angered, but brave human girl walked into a lion's den without hesitation in order to save another."

He paused in his pacing and quietly sat back down, his eyes piercing into mine. "So do I think that you are weak? The answer is undoubtedly no. I think you are the strongest person I have ever met."

I didn't even try to stop the grin from spreading over my face. "Great! Then that means you can stop with your whole self-hatred bullshit." Edward opened his mouth to say something but I rushed on before he could protest.

"No, Edward. I can see that your mad at yourself and if I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because you feel responsible for me getting hurt. But as you just said in your own words, I am headstrong and I am not weak. That means that you don't get to take on all this guilt and self-loathing for letting me get injured because you didn't _let_ me do anything," I paused to make sure he was actually listening and continued on in a strong, determined voice.

"_I_ made the decision to go after James. _I_ made the decision to go into the warehouse by myself without backup. And _I_ am the one that killed that sicko. So _you_ don't get to feel all guilty, because to be honest, no matter how much I love you, even if you had known about it and told me to stay away from him, I would have ignored you and gone after him anyways. Killing sadistic fucks like him is what I do and you are going to have to learn how to accept that."

Silence settled around us and it took approximately three seconds for me to realize what I had just said and five seconds for Edward to get over his shock.

"Did you just say that you love me?"

I could have laughed at how this had all come out. It wasn't exactly like that was the best time to reveal my emotions to him but hey, when exactly had I ever done things the normal way?

I met Edwards searching gaze and decided that we might as well get _everything_ out in the open. "To be honest, I'm not sure, because I don't actually know what love is. But, what I _can_ tell you is that I feel an extremely strong connection to you. At first I thought that I was feeling all these things because you were the only one I had ever formed a bond with, but since I came to Forks, that isn't entirely true. Charlie has become sort of a mentor that gives me life advice and refuses to put up with my bullshit. Angela sees things in me that I don't even recognize until weeks after she has it all figured out. And as much as I like to make fun of Jessica and Mike and Tyler and Eric, the connection I feel towards them is what I would consider friendship."

I'm not exactly sure why I reached out for Edward's hand, because I am definitely not the touchy-feely type, but I guess I just needed to be connected to him in some way as I finished explaining.

"But what I feel towards you isn't like any of those other bonds. With you, I feel like I am more myself than at any other time. I feel like I can be myself without any judgment or expectations because all you want is for me to be Bella. So I guess, even if this isn't love that I feel for you, it is something pretty damn close," I finished in a rush before my nerves got a hold of me. To be honest, I would rather go up against crazy vampires like James every day than talk about my feelings, but I knew that everything had needed to be said. Edward needed to know how I felt.

It took me a moment or two to realize that Edward hadn't said anything. In fact, he looked completely frozen. He wasn't even pretending to breath and his eyes were unfocused.

_I think I broke him…._

"Uh, Edward?"

As soon as I called his name, Edward closed his eyes for a second and a sudden change overcame him. His previously tense stature relaxed completely. The hard set of his jaw gentled into a small smile. His dark eyes were clear and shining with heated intensity as he stared at me.

"I do love you, Bella."

He raised his hand slowly and brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. The warmth in his eyes as he carefully studied my face made my stomach churn from nerves. No one had ever looked at me that way before…

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Edward breathed out as his thumb traced over my bottom lip.

My eyes widened for a brief moment before I nodded slowly. Edward's other hand moved up as well until my head was gently cupped in his hands. He paused with just a breath of space between us and I could feel the cold wisp of air on my lips as he exhaled slowly. When his lips pressed tenderly against mine, a shiver raced down my spine, but not because of his cool skin.

Edward's lips continued to ghost over mine in a gentle caress and I felt a heat starting to simmer within. His sweet scent created a new haze in my mind and made it difficult to think of anything other than the soft press of lips and gentle sweep of a thumb across my face. My lips tingled and I could hear the rush of blood as my heart picked up speed, beating wildly in my chest.

I heard a deep rumble and felt the vibrations from Edward's chest, causing me to frown and pull away.

"What's so funny?"

Edward smiled affectionately at me. "Nothing, I just don't think the doctors would be very pleased with me if I caused your heart rate to increase so rapidly."

I smirked in amusement, "well, at least it tells them I'm alive, right?"

Edward leaned forward and kissed my forehead lightly. "You should get some rest."

I rolled my eyes at his redirection but let him help me shift into a more comfortable position as I settled in to take a nap.

The last thing I felt was Edward's hand slipping around mine once again and his thumb settling over my pulse point, as if to reassure himself that I was alive and well.


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight.**

**Important A/N:** Hey everyone, so as most of you have guessed, this story is coming to and end soon and then I will be starting the sequel. For the sequel I wanted to try having a **BETA **and so I was wondering if any one of you readers was interested in the position. If you are just let me know in a review or a pm and I will take a look at your beta profile to see if I think our styles would work well together.

Thanks!

ash

* * *

**Chapter 21**

_(Bella)_

The next time I woke up I had a few more visitors. Edward had been replaced by Charlie and to my utter surprise, Lucas.

"What are you doing here, Director?"

Lucas's mouth was set in a grim line as usual, but I saw the brief flicker of relief that washed through his eyes.

_Aw, I knew the Director had a soft spot for me,_ I smirked to myself.

"I am here to check up on my agent who managed to almost get herself killed."

"Not before taking that sick sucker with me though," I jibed and both men just rolled their eyes at me.

"Now I see why you pawned her off on me, she's almost impossible to deal with. Damn kid's got no survival instincts," Charlie said gruffly but his mouth was lifted at the corners in an amused smile.

I turned my eyes back to Lucas and let the fear that had been building up let me ask the question I was scared to hear the answer to.

"But seriously Director, why are you here?"

Lucas sighed and leaned back in his chair as he studied me for a moment. "I came to speak with the leader of the coven. Since you said that your identity had been revealed, I wanted to see if I could smooth things over and assure him that we meant him and his coven no harm, but he says that all is forgiven."

"So…what does that mean?" I asked, trying to keep the rising hope out of my voice.

"It means that you will remain here and finish your assignment. You will learn everything you can about their lifestyle and relay all information you obtain to me."

"So I'm staying? I don't have to leave?" I asked excitedly. As soon as I had opened my eyes and seen the Director, I was afraid he would say I needed to leave Forks and the new life I had made here.

Lucas nodded his head slowly and his eyes flickered towards Charlie. "Rathbone tells me that you have a….bond with one of the vampires," Lucas trailed off. I met the Director's gaze evenly and agreed with his statement.

Lucas heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I can't say that I approve because I don't," he raised his eyes and studied me again. "But, as long as it does not interfere with your assignment, then I don't see a reason why this needs to become a concern of the Organization, do you?"

I grinned happily at Lucas and shook my head. "Of course not, Director."

Lucas opened his mouth but hesitated briefly. "You're…happy with the boy?"

"Yeah," I said with a warm smile. "Yeah, I really am."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"So how much longer am I going to be stuck here, doc?" I asked Carlisle as he checked on the stitches, his cool fingers gently prodding my side.

"Well, considering you are young and healthy, I don't see any reason why you can't go home tomorrow. The stitches are holding up nicely and I don't see any signs of infection. But I want you to take things easy. You still have to be careful with those ribs and arm, alright?"

I put on my best innocent face as Carlisle stood up. "Whatever you say, doc."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow, "why do I have the feeling that as soon as I sign your release form you won't be listening to my medical advice?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Believe me, I know just how necessary it is to relax when you have cracked ribs that need healing. Cracked ribs are my least favorite injury," I winced as I shifted myself into a more comfortable position.

I raised my head to see Carlisle studying me with a solemn look on his face.

"What's wrong, doc?"

"You have a lot of experience with these types of injuries?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Well yeah, I mean it's kind of a hazard of the job."

Carlisle's eyes filled with sadness and I realized my mistake too late. Before I could open my mouth to make some joke about how he didn't need to worry about it, he had left. A few minutes later, I heard the door open again.

"Hey, Bella."

My head snapped up and I grinned widely at the surprise visitor. "Hey Jacob, what are you doing here?"

Jacob held a finger to his lips to silence me. "Charlie told me that you had gotten injured so I wanted to come check on you. I also brought you a gift. Figured you'd want some real food," he explained as he pulled a bag of fast-food out from under his jacket.

I reached out for the cheeseburger and quickly unwrapped it, humming in content when the meaty goodness touched my tongue. "You are amazing."

Jacob chuckled, "were you talking to me or the cheeseburger?"

"Both," I joked before taking another bite.

"Jeez Bella, you might want to learn some more civilized manners before your lover boy sees you like this." Jacob leaned forward and wiped a blob of ketchup off my chin with a napkin, holding it out for me to see. "Because this is so not attractive."

I swallowed the food in my mouth before sticking my tongue out at him and then continuing to eat my lunch at a slower pace.

"Who's my lover boy?"

Jacob snorted in humor before stealing a few of my french-fries and popping them in his mouth. "Cullen."

"How'd you hear about that? We didn't even admit our feelings for each other until yesterday." I was getting really confused by the fact that everyone was so interested in mine and Edward's relationship.

"Bella," Jacob started in a matter-of-fact tone. "I knew you were in love with the guy before you did."

I gave out an exasperated sigh. "How is it that everyone seemed to know before I did?" I asked, my arm without the cast flailing around in the air as I tried to communicate how annoying it was that people seemed to know my emotions better than me.

"Sometimes people outside the situation can see things more clearly than those inside it," Jacob intoned in a serious voice.

I paused and looked at him, wondering how he seemed so mature at such a young age. "How'd you get to be so smart, Jacob?" I asked as I reached out a ruffled his hair.

Jacob swatted my hand away but turned to me with a proud smirk on his face. "I guess I'm just wise beyond my years."

I chuckled at Jacob's smug tone, "now, don't go getting too big an ego, Mr. Black."

"Yeah, yeah. So how much longer are you stuck in the hospital?"

"Doc said that I could leave tomorrow."

Jacob heaved a dramatic sigh, "that's good news. I was worried that I would have to devise some grand plan to spring you out of here."

"Guess you'll just have to save all your ingenious planning for some other time."

Jacob nodded in agreement, "I guess so."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Finally!" I yelled and quickly (well, as quickly as two cracked ribs and a casted arm could allow) hopped out of the small bed. Both Edward and Charlie chuckled at my eagerness to leave the hospital.

"I don't know about you Edward, but I'd say she's just a little bit excited to get out of here," Charlie said with a smirk.

"I'd have to agree with you," Edward laughed along, but still helped me collect my things. He handed Charlie my bag and then pushed a wheelchair into the room.

I rose an incredulous eyebrow, "you cannot be serious."

Edward walked towards me slowly and slipped his arms around me gently. He kissed me on the lips and pulled away with a pleading look.

"Humor me, please?"

I lifted onto the tips of my toes and pressed another kiss to his lips with a smile. "Nice try, but no," I laughed as I darted around him and out of the room. I could hear Charlie's laughter over Edward's aggravated sigh.

They both followed me to out into the parking lot and Edward helped me into his Volvo. Charlie threw my bag into the backseat of his cruiser and waved a hand goodbye. There was going to be a get-together at the Cullen family home and Charlie wanted to drop my things off back at our house before heading over.

"So…" I started as Edward drove us to his home. "How do you think tonight's going to go?"

I would never say it out loud, but I was extremely nervous about spending time with Edward's family. I had no idea how Edward managed to forgive me and I wasn't entirely sure that I deserved that forgiveness. I had a feeling that the rest of his family might not be as receptive to having me around as Edward was.

Edward's eyes moved from the road to study my face carefully. "I'm fairly certain that you have already won over Carlisle, Esme, and Alice."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I get Carlisle, but Esme and Alice don't even know me."

"Esme will love you as long as I do and Alice is pretty much the same. They just want me to be happy, and I'm happy with you," Edward's soft voice explained.

I felt a blush spread across my cheeks and immediately slapped my hand to my face, mortified. Edward glanced over to me and grinned amusedly.

"Are you blushing?" He teased as I tried to get my heated cheeks to cool down.

"Shut up," I grumbled in embarrassment. Edward let out a light chuckle but didn't make any further comments.

After a few more seconds, I got the conversation back on track. "And what about the rest of them? I mean, I'm fairly certain that Blonde Bitch hates my guts but I don't know what to expect from the other two."

Edward laughed at my title for Rosalie. "You are probably correct about Rosalie's feelings so I think it would be best if you avoided calling her names. We don't want to antagonize her further, right?"

I nodded, "yeah, I guess so." _Doesn't mean I can't call her those names in my head though._

"As far as Jasper and Emmet go…" Edward trailed off, thinking about his two brothers. "I'd say that Emmet will probably be fascinated by you more than anything else. He was the most unbelieving about Hunters existing so he will harass you into telling him everything about what you do. And Jasper…it's hard to say really. Based on his background, he won't be too trusting of you, but I think he will at least give you a chance because it's what Alice would want and he will do anything to make her happy."

"Okay, so that means only one out of six are going to be hostile, three will be friendlies, and two neutral. Sounds like good odds to me."

"You sound like you are going into war."

I shrugged my shoulders at Edward's comment. "In a way, I kind of am. It's of vital importance that they accept me or at least tolerate me, so I need to win them over."

We pulled into their driveway and Edward parked the car, quiet filling in where the hum of the engine had just been. Edward turned in his seat to face me and took my hand in his. Ever since I had woken up in the hospital, I had noticed that he liked to place his thumb over the pulse point on my wrist. It was as if he needed to keep reassuring himself that my heart was still beating. I knew he must have thought I was going to die after my fight with James so I just let him do what he wanted to comfort him.

"Bella, I don't want you to think that my family controls me. I do love them; they mean a lot to me and we have been a family for a long time now, but I love you too. I do want them to accept you but even if they don't," Edward shrugged his shoulders, "well, I have a hard time believing that they won't so we don't really need to worry about it."

I gave Edward a warm smile and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "Alright then, let's go meet the family."


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight.**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

_(Bella)_

Walking to the front door, I found that my nerves had been calmed by Edward's words. Yeah, I wanted them to be accepting but Edward's opinion is really what mattered to me. And if I hadn't scared him away yet then I doubted there was much left I could do to make him leave me.

Edward slipped his hand around mine and squeezed it in a reassuring manner before opening the door. Almost immediately after I stepped in, I sensed a vampire flying towards me. My Hunter instincts kicked in and I rolled to the side, letting out a yelp as my ribs protested the movement. I also heard a loud thump as something ran into the wall behind me.

"That was awesome!" A loud voice bellowed as I got to my feet. I scrunched my eyebrows, confused by Muscle Man who was grinning in amusement at me. When I turned to look at where I had been standing, I saw Alice smacked up against the wall with her arms spread out flat.

"Alice," Edward growled. "I know you are excited, but she _just_ got out of the hospital. I don't think she needs you hug-attacking her as soon a she walks into the house."

Alice peeled herself off the wall with a pout on her face. "But I just wanted to say hi."

Edward smiled indulgently at his energizer-bunny sister. "Then do so, but do it a little more calmly, please."

Alice hopped towards me with a smile on her face and wrapped her hands around me in slow motion to mock Edward's command. I chuckled at her antics and hugged her back gently, careful not to jolt my ribs.

"Hi Bella, I am so happy that we finally get the chance to meet you," Alice chirped as she pulled away.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too, Alice."

Alice grinned and skipped over to Jasper who was standing against a far wall. She pulled on his arm but he refused to get much closer. "This is Jasper! You must forgive him, you see, your blood smells really good and he is a little newer to this lifestyle so he feels it would be best if he retained a little distance."

I waved a hand, "don't worry about it. I've been told by quite a few vampires that my blood smells enticing." I barely restrained a laugh when I heard Edward emit a growl from behind me. "So do whatever you need in order to feel comfortable," I smiled at Jasper who just gave a brief nod of thanks for my understanding.

I felt a presence suddenly appear behind me and had a pretty good guess as to who it was. "And it's nice to meet you too Emmet," I said as I turned around to look up at the wall of muscle before me.

Emmet had a wide grin on his face and I could see amusement and excitement flashing in his eyes as he glanced a look at Edward. "Dude, she's awesome. Did you see how she dodged Alice? That was the funniest thing I've ever seen!" He turned his gaze back to me and scanned my body up and down. "To be honest with you, I had a hard time believing that anything as dangerous as a Hunter could be residing in such a tiny package, but you're crazy fast for a human. It would appear that you've got some skills"

I stepped closer to him, my eyes blazing. "Yeah, I have skills and a wicked temper to match so I suggest you don't make a comment about my size again."

Emmet let out a loud bellowing laugh and slapped a hand to my back in a show of camaraderie. "Mad skills and a fiery temper? You're almost too good to be true. I can't wait to see you and Rosalie in a room together. Should be an entertaining fight to watch." With that, he started to stride up the stairs. "See you later, _little_ Bella," he called over his shoulder with a deep chuckle.

I growled in annoyance as I glared at his retreating back.

"You really shouldn't have revealed to him what your sore spot is, because now he is just going to poke fun at you every chance he gets," Alice said.

I turned to Edward, Alice, and Jasper with a mischievous grin. "Don't worry, I'll give as good as I get."

Alice stepped forward and looped her arm through mine as she started to lead me deeper into the house. "Please let me in on whatever pranks you scheme up. Emmet has had this coming to him for a long time now."

"No worries, dear Alice. The rewards are great for those who are patient."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"How long do you guys have to train? What kind of training do you go through? Is your little set up run by the government? How do you guys get all your resources? How many Hunters are there?"

"Emmet! Shut up!" Edward, Alice, and Rosalie shouted at the same time. Charlie and I just laughed as we both set our plates aside and thanked Esme for the meal. I'm not exactly sure how someone that didn't eat human food could be such a good chef, but everything had been delicious.

"I still don't see why we even invited them here! I mean, they kill vampires! They kill our kind!" Rosalie fumed from the corner where she had been stiffly standing for the last forty minutes.

"Rosalie, our kind kills humans. They just protect themselves. They did not try to kill us because they know we are not a threat to them," Carlisle spoke in a calm voice.

Charlie leaned forward, his arms supporting himself on his knees. "And while it's true we kill vampires, we don't do so unless we can actually track them. That means that they have to be killing more humans than a normal vampire would need to sustain themselves, otherwise it would just show up as statistically insignificant and not raise any alarms. We do happen upon some by chance, but for the most part we only destroy vampires that go above and beyond the normal killing quota."

Rosalie turned her glare on me, deciding to ignore anything Charlie said. "And I fail to see how you and Edward could have a functional relationship when his instincts tell him to kill you and you were trained to kill him."

"I was trained to kill monsters. Edward isn't a monster," I explained calmly.

"All vampires are monsters," Rosalie whispered bitterly as she wrapped her arms around herself. Carlisle's eyes filled with indescribable remorse. Edward had told me earlier that Rosalie still resented Carlisle for turning her. I hated that she made him feel so guilty.

I jumped to my feet and stalked closer to Rosalie. "No, not all vampires are monsters. Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmet, and even _you_ have proven that to me. The lifestyle you chose and continue to choose everyday is proof of that."

I came to a stop right in front of Rosalie who refused to back down and glared right into my eyes. I respected the fact that she stuck to her opinion, but in this case she was horribly wrong.

"You think you know what a monster is? I've seen monsters and I've killed them. Two years ago I had the pleasure of destroying a vampire that had an addiction to children's blood." My eyes dropped to the floor as the images of their little bodies flashed in my mind, some of them not much younger than I had been at the time.

"Children…" I whispered before raising my eyes to Rosalie's once again. "He would take them from their homes and drop them somewhere in the middle of a forest. He would chase and taunt them for days, let them see the other bodies of the children that died before them. Just before I destroyed him I asked him why he did it and he just laughed and said the fear made them _taste_ better. So, Rosalie, I guess I'll ask you this: do you still think that you and the rest of your family are comparable to _that_?" Anger was heavy in my voice at the idea that she thought any of them could do something so evil.

Rosalie took a step back from me as her head shook back and forth slowly. Her eyes were wide in shock and I could see her hands shaking at her side. "How many children did he kill?" Her voice was soft, as if she was afraid to hear the answer.

I shook my head to try and clear it of the ghosts haunting my vision. "More than you would want to know."

I dropped back onto the couch and slumped my head in my hands. The tense silence was uncomfortable and I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

Charlie cleared his throat and I was thankful that he was trying to distract them from my outburst. "The reason why it was so important for Bella to learn more about you is so that hopefully we can determine how best to implement a peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires. I have no false hopes that every vampire will be receptive to your way of life, but if we were able to convince even a small percentage of them that there is another option then it could minimize the loss to both sides."

"And that's exactly why I am willing to tell you anything you want to know," Carlisle said in his soothing voice. "I've always been against killing and I would be honored to be given the chance to help you stop needless loss of life in any way that I can."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Well, it didn't go as horribly as it could have…." I joked as Edward and I walked along a trail behind the Cullen house.

Edward didn't respond and when I looked over at him, I could see that he was completely lost in his thoughts. I tugged on his hand and pulled him to a stop so I could face him.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

I rolled my eyes at his answer because it was very clear that _something_ was wrong. "Edward, I can tell something is bothering you."

Edward let out a heavy sigh and his amber eyes looked troubled in the moonlight. "I just….I'm mad at myself."

"Why?" I asked, confused as to what had brought on his strange mood.

"When you were telling Rosalie about that other vampire…I felt so horrible and sorry that you have had to face nightmares like that…but I can't find the strength within me to wish you had never been through it because, in the end, everything that you've lived through and everything I've experienced has led us to this point where we can be together. And that's horrible of me isn't it? The fact that I am so selfish that I can't wish you had a different life because then that would mean I never got to meet you."

I could hear the self-hatred starting to creep into his voice and knew I quickly needed to put a halt to that train of thought. "Edward, do you want to know the one regret I've had that I wish I could change?"

Edward shook his head and I smiled sadly at him. "The only thing I've ever regretted was lying to you for so long. Yes, I have seen more darkness in this world than most can even imagine, but everything I've experienced has led me to now. And if living through all that was the sacrifice that I had to make in order to be led here then I'd do it all over again without a second thought."

A soft smile spread across Edward's face before he leaned down, his lips stopping just before they met mine.

"You know, Bella, I've noticed something these past few days…" His cool breath sent a shiver racing down my spine but I felt my chest fill with warmth as my heart started to beat quickly in anticipation.

"Yeah, what's that?" I asked somewhat breathlessly.

I felt the rumble of Edward's strong chest as he let out a gravely chuckle. "You're much easier to dazzle now," he teased but I couldn't find it within myself to care because his lips finally moved forward to meet mine.

_I'll get him back later…_ was a fleeting thought as I felt myself melting into him, happier than I could ever remember being.

**The End**

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**A/N: **Woot woot! i can't believe i finished my first fanfic! well, almost, i still need to post the epilogue...haha, i want to say a HUGE **THANK YOU!** to all you wonderful ppl reading this story. Many of you have been with me since the very beginning and i just want you to know that i love you all for the support you guys have given me this entire time :)

Like i said, the epilogue will be posted sometime in the next week-week and a half along with the prologue to the sequel. Now, although the prologue to the sequel will be going up, i won't actually start uploading real chpts for a month? maybe? I need a little time to recharge my writer-batteries XD but i wanted to upload the prologue so that those of you who wanted to add it to their alerts could be notified when i actually get into the story

again, Thanks to all you wonderful readers, it has been such a wonderful journey and i am so happy that so many ppl have taken the time to read/review this story.

till next time,

ash


	24. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

It was strange, really, thinking back on how much my life had changed in just a few months. It seemed like such a long time ago that the _Welcome to Forks_ sign had inspired a resentful view on my new position in life. The 'assignment from Hell' I had deemed it and I couldn't have been more wrong.

I had come to Forks a bitter lone-wolf hell bent on weaseling my way out of the watch-dog assignment any way that I could. I had been unnecessarily sarcastic towards Charlie, unforgiving in my small-minded view on Forks and its inhabitants, and an all around pain in the ass Hunter who wanted to be out killing vampires.

I never could have guessed that Forks would be the place to flip my world upside down. Its sprawling green forests and dreary sky had played me like a fool; I never could have anticipated the curveball it was about to throw me.

Meeting Edward had been life-altering, not just because I made a connection with him that I had never shared with anyone, but also because he changed every preconceived notion I had about vampires.

Literally my entire life had been dedicated to learning as much about vampires as I could in order to destroy them more easily. And yet, one beautiful, amber-eyed boy had changed everything.

He had shown me that not all vampires were mindless killing machines, not all vampires took pleasure in sucking the life out of delicate humans, and not all vampires loved the fact that they had unimaginable power. He had shown me a different brand of vampire.

He showed me that vampires could have internal-battles, the need to be good warring tirelessly against the ever-present thirst. He showed me that it was possible to choose, possible to obliterate prejudices, possible to do the impossible.

Edward had done the impossible. He did it everyday he chose to drink animal blood instead of killing humans to get what every fiber of his being called out for. He had fought his bloodlust and locked it away, caging the monster so securely that even when it had reared its ugly head and demanded _my_ blood, he had silenced it, once again.

And he had continued to do the impossible. He had shown a Hunter, me, that not all vampires were the monsters I had been raised to slay. The moment I had met him, my black and white perspective of the world had shifted, blurred, and adjusted in order to allow me to see the potential in the world around me. There were so many other colors, not just strict black and white.

Were there monsters in this world? Yes. And I would forever be grateful to my mentors for teaching me the skills I needed in order to help rid the world of them.

But…were all vampires monsters? No. And I would forever be grateful to Edward for showing me the difference between the two. Being one didn't make you the other.

My whole world had changed the moment the Director had assigned me this mission. Because this mission had given me so much. It had given me the hope for a better future. It had given me friends. It had given me a family. And it had given me Edward.

_I guess it's a good thing that the Director hadn't been "fucking kidding me."_

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**A/N: **haha, ok so i wanted the ep to be more serious, kinda like bella's reflection on her life in Forks...but i couldn't resist adding the ending line XD I introduced you guys to my version of Bella like the potty mouth she is and she just had to say bye- for now- that way too

Prologue for the sequel, Death Wish, is up.


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